Grand Slam of Curling Opens Season With New Broadcast Team

The Grand Slam of Curling starts its 2026-27 season Tuesday at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, B.C., with a redesigned broadcast team, 32 competing teams and new storylines as curlers prepare for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games cycle.

The season-opening GSOC Co-op Invitational features 16 men's teams and 16 women's teams, with each division competing for a share of a combined $400,000 prize purse, according to the Grand Slam of Curling.

The Curling Group introduced new broadcast roles after Rob Faulds retired and analysts Kevin Martin and Mike Harris left their previous positions. Darren Dupont joins John Cullen for hosting and play-by-play duties, while Jennifer Jones, Joanne Courtney, Brad Gushue and Brent Laing join the analyst group.

The Curling Group CEO Nic Sulsky said the organization wants to modernize its coverage approach.

"We’ve been very open with our desire to innovate, to change and to grow," said Nic Sulsky, CEO of The Curling Group.

Sportsnet remains the main Canadian rights-holder, while CBC will provide coverage for selected weekend draws and finals. The event will also have international coverage through ESPN+ in the United States and DAZN internationally.

Gushue, who retired earlier in 2026 and now works as USA Curling’s high-performance director, begins his broadcasting role after previous limited commentary experience.

"People will have to bear with me, I guess, for the first couple of events as I learn the ropes and get more comfortable with it. But I have lots of confidence in my knowledge of the game and my knowledge of the teams and the strategy part that I can share. It’s just a matter of now honing that and becoming a good analyst," said Brad Gushue, analyst.

The opening tournament includes major roster changes and returning champions. Canadian teams skipped by Brad Jacobs, Rachel Homan, Brendan Bottcher, Matt Dunstone, John Epping and Kevin Koe are among the men's entries, while Kerri Einarson, Homan and other top women's teams headline the field.

Einarson enters the event as defending champion with a reshaped lineup after Val Sweeting departed for Kayla MacMillan's Victoria-based team. The Gimli, Manitoba skip said opponents continue to raise their level against her team.

"Obviously, there’s always a target on our backs," said Kerri Einarson, skip.

Einarson's team changed three throwing positions, with Shannon Birchard moving to third, Karlee Burgess moving to second and Jocelyn Peterman joining as lead and vice-skip. The team qualified for playoffs in all early-season events, according to the Calgary Herald.

"Yeah, I think we’ve had a really good start to our season so far, qualifying for playoffs in all the events. Everyone’s playing kind of different positions other than myself, so it’s just a bit of a learning curve and figuring things out. But our chemistry seems really good. And our communication — it seems to be flowing nicely," said Kerri Einarson, skip.

The team is continuing to adjust to new roles as it begins the Grand Slam schedule in Victoria.

"It’s just trying to figure each other out. Jocelyn and I figuring out our positions and like line-calling and things like communication — and I think it’s going really well," said Kerri Einarson, skip.

Einarson also discussed facing former teammate Sweeting, who spent eight seasons on her championship team and now plays third for MacMillan.

"It’s definitely strange without Val. Obviously, we had eight amazing years together, and you never forget your teammates and what they did for you in the game on and off the ice. So … yeah … it’s definitely hard, and it’s going to be hard when we play each other.

It’s always difficult playing your former teammates. But … yeah … that’s curling," said Kerri Einarson, skip.

The Co-op Invitational runs through Sunday, with round-robin games, quarterfinals and semifinals before the women's and men's finals.