11 Fave Teams From The Curling Bubble

Once the bubble was correctly popped into oblivion, I put out a survey asking all of you for your favorite games and teams across the seven events. First I unveiled the games, and now here’s the results of the survey’s second half.

Some of you voted based on your historical rooting interest; some of you adored a new team based on what they went through or accomplished. There are no wrong answers when liking a sports team and you should never be bound by any external forces other than your own heart.

First, the honorable mentions, all teams that received a mention but missed the top 11: Dunstone, Fleury, Grattan, Gushue, Jentsch, Koe, Kovaleva, McEwen, Sahaidak/Lott, St-Georges/Asselin, Turmann, Walker/Muyres.

T-10—Team Switzerland (Silvana Tirinzoni)

It’s not easy to defend a world title by waiting two years, but the Swiss women’s team managed. They played the best, wire-to-wire, and scored an eight-ender along the way.

Canada’s Team Einarson received much publicity for merging four skips on a squad for this Olympic cycle and having it work out. At the same time, across the ocean, Tirinzoni added two skips of her own—Alina Pätz and Melanie Barbezat. This proves the ideal number of skips on a team is somewhere between three and four.

T-10—Team USA (John Shuster)

Led by the Truth from Duluth, the USA men secured an Olympic berth, a spot this team is most certainly favored to reclaim in the fall, even if they are not favored to defend the gold medal (but hey, you never know). The rest of the team drama was just seeing how many ends would be played before Matt Hamilton put his hair up in a bun.

9th—Team Manitoba (Jennifer Jones)

A perennial favorite, no doubt. It wasn’t their strongest showing—a tiebreaker loss at the Scotties followed by DNQs in the Slams, but fans will continue to stan them, as well they should. Lisa Weagle was the best lead in the Scotties field, and Dawn McEwen’s second daughter was born in April. Good vibrations all around.

T-7—Team Wild Card 3 (Howard feat. Middaugh)

Of all the weird and improbable things to happen, Robert Wayne Middaugh skipping a Brier team in the year of our lord 2021 was definitely one of them, and the fact that they played at the front of the pack was even more wild. A run for the ages. We also wonder if Tim March has woken up yet from all that sweeping.

T-7—Team USA (Tabitha Peterson)

They only won one game at the two Slams but finally began kicking tails at women’s worlds, upsetting Canada and snatching bronze from the Swedes—USA’s first ever women's bronze. Not initially considered a “top tier” team, there’s some good momentum for them as they prepare to qualify for Beijing.

6th—Team Canada (Kerri Einarson)

This felt … low for them? But they all feel low. They’re all number one in my book. They all went through adversity. Being Team Canada, however, has added pressure to go along with the obstacles. From defending the Scotties title to finally getting to play a world championship and then rebounding from a 1-5 start to qualify Canada for the Olympics, a phrase that is still very weird to say and write, nary a soul could help but want to give them all a big virtual hug once it was all over.

T-4th—Team Sweden (Niklas Edin)

Nothing like winning a fifth world title to seal your legacy as the best living skip. They followed it up with two quarterfinal losses in the Slams and I’m sure they’ll cope with that. The world keeps waiting for them to slip a bit, and they just haven’t.

T-4th—Team Scotland (Bruce Mouat)

For sure this was the breakout star team on the men’s side. They had three weeks any team would take: silver at worlds followed by two Slam victories. Then their skip won the world mixed doubles title.

They all look like they’re 11, nothing a little facial hair wouldn’t solve. They also spurred the best/worst pun of the bubble, if I don’t say so myself:

T-2nd—Team Ontario (Rachel Homan)

There may have been plenty of invented reasons for fans to not fully embrace the team years ago, but few of those reasons have any substance. Sure, they’re intense. But that’s how they like it. Their level of play is undeniable and has inspired a generation of new curlers.

The whole team was phenomenal in Calgary and Sarah Wilkes worked into the team nicely. But the sequence of life events Rachel underwent in and out of the bubble, from Scotties final to second baby and back to a Grand Slam victory is one for the ages. It shan’t be replicated, unless Rachel decides to try it again, this time with twins.

T-2nd—Team Alberta/Canada (Brendan Bottcher)

Their social media presence was unmatched, particularly their reaction when losing to Mouat in the Champions Cup final …

… only to find themselves playing Mouat again, the next day, in the Players Championship.

Their longstanding team chemistry was infectious. Their hats and socks were the talk of the town. But I'm guessing more people were impressed with the Brier victory, at long last. Hashtag, still rollin’.

1st—Team Quebec (Laurie St-Georges)

I’m sure it won’t take much convincing to tell you this was a landslide victory. The gap between first and second place, let’s just say, even you could draw through it.

In the face of national and global despair and struggle, they showed limitless positivity. They played the game the right way, and that phrase used to mean “respect tradition and don’t exalt yourself” in certain contexts, which made it a horse manure phrase. Now it means be yourself playing a silly game and relish the moments while they last. And they’re a young team, meaning they should have many moments in the future.