It’s okay, you can breathe Canada, because for the first time since 2014, a Canadian men’s team will curl for gold.
And wouldn’t you know, it’s the same skipper that got it done then as well.
Brad Jacobs and the Canadian rink, made up of Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant andBen Hebert, got the job done in what many call the “toughest game in curling”, the Olympic semifinal against Norway in an extra end 5-4 to advance into the gold-medal match.
“I will say, that game, that game is hard. That game sucks a little bit,” Jacobs told CBC Olympics.
You play nine round-robin games in a week just to make the top four, and within 10, or this time 11 short ends, you know whether your chance of Olympic gold is gone or not.
“That was probably the most nervous we’ve been as a group in a long time. You could just feel it and sense it out there. That was a tough game, and Norway played great. Good back-and-forth battle, and to now be guaranteed a medal for Canada is pretty special,” Jacobs said.
You could tell the team was nervous, for sure, but don’t be fooled by the scoreboard. Canada controlled most of this game by playing mistake-free curling while Jacobs called an excellent game from the house.
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Men’s Olympic curling standings, schedule, results
Team Brad Jacobs will aim to get Canada back on top of the Olympic podium for men’s curling for the first time since 2014 this month in Italy. Follow all the action with Sportsnet.
It was clear from the first end that Canada wasn’t going to be the one to make the big mistake by taking a risk, and instead, let the game come to them and forced Norway into making a mistake. Which they made multiple throughout the game, but the curling gods saved them every time until the extra end.
The Canadians outcurled the Norwegians 88-79 per cent.
For Jacobs, securing Canada a medal with this team means the world.
“I’ve said it lots, but our team dynamic and how we get along is quite special. We play for one another, we really do love one another, we’re lifelong friends,” Jacobs told CBC Olympics.
“When this is all over, one day I’m sure we’ll be on the golf course hanging out lots and having a few cocktails and reminiscing about all these crazy times that we’ve had just in our short inception as a team. So, yeah, it was great. We’re just blessed and grateful to be playing with one another.”
The whole week, Jacobs has been brilliant, but when his team needed him the most in the semis, he delivered shot after shot.
However, for the gold medalist from Sochi, it wasn’t until after Norway missed their final shot in the 11th end that Jacobs thought he could reach the Olympic final again.
“No, no, I didn’t (think I could make it back to the gold-medal match).”
Now that Jacobs and his teammates have the most nerve-racking game in curling out of the way, expect the team to play a lot more freely in the gold-medal match.
Homan put the team on her back to reach the playoffs
Finally, Canada’s Rachel Homan – arguably the greatest curler of all time – will have the chance to compete for a medal at these Olympic Games.
“It means everything,” Homan told CBC Olympics. “It’s been a long week and, yeah, this is what we trained for, prepared for, for Canada. We couldn’t ask for anything more in this moment.”
The story was typed and ready to send to the print: “The lights are too bright for Homan at the Olympics” after she started 1-3 and was on the verge of missing the playoffs for the third-straight Games – 2018 while representing Canada for the women’s discipline and 2022 while competing in mixed doubles.
But those stories will have to be put in the trash bin, where they belong.
Because Homan, with everything on the line against Korea on Thursday, played her best game ever at the Olympics. It was simple for Homan and her teammates, Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew and Sarah Wilkes, who came into the game winning four-straight, win and you’re in, lose and you’re done.
Even though Homan’s front three struggled to make shots throughout the game, she wasn’t going to let the team fall behind. In the second, Homan attempted a draw, which, if not made perfect, would’ve resulted in three or four for Korea. Canada got one.
It was more of the same in the fourth end when Homan made a great soft-weight double to score two points. Her best came in the sixth, however, when the Canadians managed to blow open the game by scoring four.
Sometimes, in order to win, all you need is your skip to make shots, and that’s what happened for Canada on Thursday.
“I mean, that’s one way to get to a semi. We fought hard for everything. Obviously, a slow start, and we just kept our belief,” Homan told CBC Olympics. “I’m just so proud of my team for this week, giving Canada a chance to get into that semi.”
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Women’s Olympic curling standings, schedule, results
Team Rachel Homan will try to get Canada back on the Olympic podium for the first time since 2014 this month in Italy. Follow all the action with Sportsnet.
After the Canadians dropped to 1-3, they needed to run the table, so for Homan, the semifinal tomorrow versus Sweden won’t be any different.
“We’ve been in a must-win situation pretty much this whole week. Just more of the same, really,” Homan said.
Now, even though Homan’s rink still has to go through what Jacobs’ rink did on Thursday against Norway to reach the gold-medal game, which was the toughest game in curling, it might actually be the opposite for the women, especially Homan.
Now that Homan has reached the playoffs for the first time, it might just free her up to play even better.
Mouat just needed a playoff spot
Great Britain, ranked the No. 1 team in the world, wasn’t even in the playoffs heading into the final round-robin draw, and yet, they are now in the gold-medal match.
But thanks to Switzerland beating Italy to finish the week 9-0, the Brits got their break.
The Swiss, in retrospect, probably wish they hadn’t won that game now because as a reward for finishing undefeated, they got to face Bruce Mouat.
Honestly, for the most part, Switzerland outplayed Great Britain, setting up multiple ends to score big. But just like in Homan’s game, the Brits just needed their skip to win them the game because of how well he curled.
No shot was bigger than the one in the seventh end, though.
Tied 4-4 without a hammer, Mouat was looking at Switzerland sitting three, buried, and had no easy option to draw, hoping to cut down the Swiss scoring chance.
All that was there was a 20-foot runback triple. With the game on the line essentially, Mouat delivered what will be remembered as one of the greatest shots of all time.
Switzerland only scored one point, and Great Britain took over from there, advancing to the gold-medal match.
It’s funny. Both world No. 1’s Homan and Mouat proved once again, you’d better kill them while they’re down, because if not, they’re going to remind you who owns the sport.
