Curling Committee Reviews Controversial Co-op Invitational Finish

The Grand Slam of Curling's competition committee plans to review a controversial round-robin finish at the Co-op Invitational in Victoria, British Columbia, after conservative play by Canadian skips Matt Dunstone and Brendan Bottcher drew boos from spectators Friday night, October 16, 2026. The outcome secured playoff places for both teams while eliminating American skip Danny Casper's rink.

According to reporting by The Canadian Press published October 19, the teams deliberately sent early stones through the house during the eighth and final end before Bottcher scored one point to tie the game. Dunstone then won the shootout 6-5, earning two points, while Bottcher received one point for the shootout loss.

The result gave Bottcher seven points overall and the final playoff berth. Casper's team finished with six points and missed the cut, although it would have reached a tiebreaker had the game been decided in regulation.

Ben Richardson, the second for Team Casper, criticized the spectacle and its effect on the sport's public image.

"They're on ESPN in the U.S. and [Sportsnet] in Canada, thousands of people are watching it, I'm sure, and it looks horrible," Richardson said from Victoria over the weekend. "It definitely leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. "I can't speak [for] all the people that watched it, but it's definitely not a good look for our sport.”

Richardson said he understood why both teams would prefer a shootout but objected to their lack of effort to win outright during the final end.

"I understand why both of them would want a shootout," Richardson said. "I don't understand why both of them would not try to win in the last end. I completely disagree with that."

The teams' opening shots in the final end intensified the criticism. Team Dunstone lead Ryan Harnden drew the button, while Team Bottcher lead Geoff Walker missed his first shot. Team Casper third Luc Violette questioned the tactics, noting that a team seeking a regulation victory would typically place a corner guard.

After Harnden's second shot stopped at the top of the four-foot ring, Walker made a double takeout that sent his shooter out of play. Violette argued that the sequence improved Dunstone's opportunity to steal a point and said he expected Harnden to follow with a tight center guard instead of a shot that left an easy double.

Team Dunstone second Mark Nichols and Team Bottcher second Tanner Horgan subsequently threw their first stones through the house. Spectators responded with boos and shouts of "Borrrrr-ing!" and "Shame! Shame!"

During the broadcast, host John Cullen suggested the teams might have reached an informal understanding to take the game to a shootout, which would guarantee both sides a playoff place. Analyst Brent Laing rejected the need for such an agreement, suggesting both teams independently recognized that avoiding risk served their interests.

Bottcher and Dunstone denied coordinating their approach. Bottcher explained that his team knew it needed one point to qualify under the tournament's scoring format, while Dunstone said the result reflected the standings rather than a prior discussion.

"In eight, they threw a rock in the house and Geoff's first rock picked," Bottcher said in a text message. "That said, our team knew we needed a point to qualify given the format."

Bottcher's explanation highlighted the qualification pressure created by the scoring system, which awards points for round-robin results and shootouts.

"there was no conversation whatsoever," Dunstone said in a phone interview from Victoria. "It was just how the scoreboard played out," he said.

Nic Sulsky, CEO of The Curling Group, which owns the Grand Slam of Curling, said he supported the circuit's 3-2-1-0 scoring system, then in its second season, but was dissatisfied with the finish.

"It was a little too obvious, it was a little too raw," Sulsky said. "And I feel for the Casper boys. But at the end of the day, fans are in the stands watching rocks being thrown through the house. "I'm not a supporter of [that] in a situation like [Friday] night."

Sulsky said the seven-member competition committee was expected to meet Thursday or Friday to discuss the incident. The review follows criticism that the teams' approach undermined the competitive spectacle, although the controversy did not determine their subsequent playoff results.

Dunstone lost his quarterfinal to Switzerland's Yannick Schwaller, who went on to win the men's title with a 7-3 victory over Norway's Magnus Ramsfjell. Bottcher lost his opening playoff game to Canadian Brad Jacobs.

Violette said the controversial finish was not the reason Casper's team failed to win the tournament, but he raised the possibility of disciplinary consequences, arguing that a similar situation in another sport might prompt a sanction.