When Niklas Edin and Silvana Tirinzoni retired this spring, many tributes rightly celebrated their extraordinary careers. Their records at the World Championships and on the international stage are almost unmatched. In season reviews, Edin's famous spinner from the World Championship was shown again and again, reminding everyone why he's regarded as one of the greatest players ever.
But it got me thinking:
Did Silvana Tirinzoni and her team ever produce a moment so extraordinary that it deserved the same kind of replay treatment?
At first glance, you might say no. But actually, yes.
They produced what I would call "The Forgotten Eight-Ender."
On May 2, 2021, at the Women's World Championship in Calgary, Switzerland faced Denmark in round-robin play. Switzerland led 5–4 after six ends. Denmark chose an aggressive approach in the seventh end, trying to generate a multiple-point score rather than peeling Swiss stones away.
Unfortunately for the Danes, several shots missed their intended result. Switzerland gradually built an untouchable wall of stones in the house. By the time Alina Pätz threw the final stone of the end, Switzerland was already counting seven. All she needed was a draw into the house to complete the eighth point.
She made it. Eight points. One end.
Denmark conceded immediately afterward.
What makes this even more remarkable is
that it was not just any eight-ender.
It was the first eight-ender ever
recorded at a World Curling Championship — men's or women's.
Think about that for a moment. In all the
decades of World Championship history, no team had ever scored a World
Championship eight-ender until Tirinzoni, Pätz, and Team Switzerland did it.
So why isn't it remembered the way Edin's
spinner is remembered?
Because almost nobody saw it happen.
On the very same day, multiple members of
the event's broadcast crew tested positive for COVID-19. Television coverage
from the championship was suspended. The games continued, but the cameras did
not. That means.
- No TSN broadcast.
- No dramatic overhead shot showing all eight
Swiss stones in the house.
- No replay packages.
- No Vic Rauter saying:
"Count them up: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven... EIGHT!"
As far as I know, the only surviving video
is a short mobile phone recording. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DQZzfVsrf/
And so one of the greatest moments in
curling history became almost invisible.
The first-ever World Championship
eight-ender happened on a day when much of the curling world wasn't watching.
The record still stands, but the moment never became part of curling's shared
memory.
Maybe this proves the old saying: "If
it wasn't on TV, it didn't happen."
Question for the
community
Looking at the incredible achievements of
Silvana Tirinzoni and Alina Pätz, which do you think will be matched or
surpassed first by another team?
A) An eight-ender in a major international competitionB) 42 consecutive wins at the World ChampionshipsC) Four consecutive World Championship gold medals
I'm curious to hear what everyone thinks.Aug 24, 2026 
The Curling News
