We must admit, we were having fun with this headline.

“How about: Martin traded to Storm… for Goldline brush and and bag of Chee-tos?”

You know, that sort of thing.

But on to the story.

In advance of his appearance at The National in January, the second Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event of the season, Kevin Martin made a series of promotional appearances in the Guelph, Ontario area earlier this week.

Martin started with a Monday morning trip to a curling club he has visited before. It was the KW Granite Club in Waterloo, the host venue of two TV Skins Games held earlier this decade.

Martin stepped into a club game to call an end and throw a couple of stones (he stole a point). He then answered an unending stream of questions from club members and autographed pictures and brooms.

According to the Waterloo Record, his best story was on the eccentricities of third John Morris. Morris once showed up for a Brier morning draw with an incredibly wrinkled, squashed team jacket. Fearing Morris’s dishevelled appearance was due a late night, the Alberta skip was relieved and amused to hear that Morris had this particular jacket rush-mailed to him from home in an superstitious effort to snap a shooting slump. It worked.

On Tuesday morning, “The Old Bear” dropped by the June Avenue Public School in Guelph, meeting approximately 60 Grade 5 and 6 students to discuss the importance of hard work, and staying focused to achieving goals.

Later that afternoon, Martin laced up his skates to become a Guelph Storm hockey “Player for a Day.”
The 2008 world champion met with Storm players at the Sleeman Centre, site of The National, to provide a motivational address. Afterward, Martin hit the ice with the team and took part in the club’s preliminary practice drills… and even scored a goal (TCN photo by Anil Mungal).

“It was an absolute blast,” Martin told The Curling News. “The guys were real friendly. It was fun to get hockey equipment on for the first time since 1982.

“The biggest message I was trying to get across was believing in themselves. Everyone at this level is good enough to do it. Only the ones that believe deep down they can do it will succeed.”

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Capital One photo by Anil Mungal

MISSISSAUGA – The only sweeper on the sheet who sweeps with two grippers is Nolan Thiessen (at left).

This isn’t a knock on Nolan, but I think it’s better for the game if sweepers can use their slider. Just watch the motion of the sweeper using two grippers. It’s an almost slide with a gripper on the ice.

Inevitably, that sweeper will be down the center line dragging a foot on the slide path. Conditions matter in a game like this. And the conditions will be better with less dragging.

Okay, back to the game. Richard just sailed his top four draw to the back twelve giving Koe a shot to get out of the end. Koe makes it decently which causes a conversation about the next shot.

Howard tries a double from an outside rock. That’s the second end in a row that Glenn has had to try a double.

My first head scratch comes on Koe’s last shot. Why did he throw an out-turn and not an in-turn come around on his last? Seems he could have really chocked off the lid and made it real tough for Howard to score if he throws the inturn.

Of course, Glenn makes the inturn draw to the lid to make it 2-1.

Still, if Koe can keep Howard throwing big weight hits on his first rock, then he might be able to break the goose egg in Grand Slam finals. As good as Howard is, I think most teams would love to see Glenn having to throw big weight hits.

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by Matt Hames
Capital One photo by Anil Mungal

At this level, it’s really hard to pick the right spot for a center guard. Koe starts end #1 with a half way guard.

Any higher, and you can get rid of a rock that’s buried with back line weight. Any tighter, and Howard just runs back the guard.

The real value in the guard comes late in the end. The half way guard ensures something at the end that Koe can use to force the play.

Indeed, the end really gets fun when Richard quite accidentally makes a great hit and roll to the back button. Koe manages a couple of complete pistols and steals two.

But this is the thing about Howard: they are tough to rattle. They’ve always seemed supremely confident in their ability to hang points.

But you can beat that Koe starts end #2 with a rock in the top of the rings, preferable biting the top four foot. This could be a fun game, especially since I’ll stick to my score.

BTW, Arsenal are up 2-0 in what is being written up as quite a boring match.

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