(by Al Cameron)
So, here’s the news curling fans have been waiting for since the fiasco of last season: the Grand Slam circuit, or some facsimile of it, is returning for the 2012-13 curling season.
And we can confirm through sources that after much speculation, the news conference that Sportsnet is staging tomorrow in Toronto will be to announce that the Rogers-owned network has taken over the broadcasting rights (and possibly control/ownership; we’ll find out more tomorrow) of the Slam series, which comprises the highest-profile men’s events in the country outside of the Brier, Canada Cup and Olympic Trials.
You’ll remember that the 2011-12 Slam season ended with an air of uncertainty. First came the shocking announcement midway through the season that CBC was cancelling its broadcasting agreement over a non-payment of fees from iSport Media and Management, the Kevin Albrecht-run firm that owned and operated the Slam events.
That was followed by news upon the completion of the season-ending Players’ Championships in Summerside, P.E.I., that prize-payout cheques to the teams were bouncing higher than a Pee Wee Pickering (old-school reference there) backswing.
Having the series back for 2012-13 and, presumably, beyond will be a relief for the Canadian Curling Association, which uses the events (a minimum of four per year) as a major qualifying factor to determine teams for the 2013 Trials in Winnipeg.