Sportsnet’s “Around The Rings” Grand Slam playoff coverage may still be a controversial broadcasting style, but it has won over one particular critic.

Kevin Martin’s father.

“When we first started it, Kevin Martin’s father would text him saying, ‘tell that producer of yours to knock it off with the jumping around of the games, I hate it,’” recalled Curtis Saville.

“About a year later, he told Kevin (a Sportsnet analyst for 10 years now) that he now loves and looks forward to Around The Rings.

“I knew then we really had something that was working and compelling to watch.”

Saville recently stepped down as Sportsnet curling producer after 26 years.

New Sportsnet curling producer Jordan Fontaine credits Saville for devising the Grand Slam’s multi-sheet playoff coverage.

The concept is a year or two away from a 10-year anniversary.

Another two draws of “Around The Rings” coverage are set for today at the Canadian Open at Nisku Alta., with Friday afternoon’s quarterfinals and the evening’s semifinal round.

“Around The Rings” shows the viewing audience the final handful of rocks for each of the four games during the quarterfinals and semifinals. The commentators provide the context for how the end shapes up, but the viewer gets to see the “best parts” of every end, for every sheet.

“Think of this like curling’s ‘NFL Redzone,’ said Fontaine.

“Seeing this in the TV truck in real time was something to behold. You’re constantly watching and anticipating which sheet will end next. Then, you have to work with your director to organize your cameras in order to capture everything.

“Curtis, alongside our longtime Director Troy Clara, made this appear seamless. For me, it was an impressive thing to see and a testament to the skills of our curling production crew.

“I seem to recall there being a big ‘energy’ in the TV truck after that first show we did. Just that we were all part of something truly groundbreaking.”

A whopping four tiebreakers were needed this morning to decide the final Canadian Open playoff spots.

Matt Dunstone upended red-hot Mike McEwen 7-5, Chelsea Carey dispatched Team Lawes’ Selena Njegovan 4-3, Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni defeated Japan’s Sayaka Yoshimura by a 6-2 count, and Kerri Einarson’s patchwork lineup—with Joanne Courtney in tow—took out the defending Alberta champion Selena Sturmay 8-6.

The men’s quarterfinal round features the usual high-calibre curling suspects—Italy’s Joel Retornaz, Scotland’s Bruce Mouat, Sweden’s Nikals Edin and Canada’s Brads, Gushue and Jacobs.

The women’s quarters spotlight Canada’s Rachel Homan, Italy’s Stefania Constantini, Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa and Korea’s 2018 Olympic finalists skipped by Eun-jung Kim.