“That is definitely his masterpiece”
When Tara George’s phone and social media accounts started blowing up on Friday night, she knew something was up.
Her son Carter George, Team Canada’s goalie, was still eight minutes away from shutting out Finland at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Kanata, Ont.
Broadcaster TSN had just returned from a commercial break and ran a brief feature on the former high-performance curling athlete, who was cheering her son on from the stands, a caesar in hand.
“Hearing from old curling friends has definitely been one of the biggest perks of this,” said George.
George found curling fame in Thunder Bay, Ont. with a young Krista McCarville, appearing in four national STOH championships and also the 2009 Olympic Trials, where the team finished third.
A Sault Ste. Marie native, George was six months pregnant with Carter when she competed in her first Tournament of Hearts in 2006.
George was coached by her father, Tom Coulterman, who also guided Canada’s national junior squads as well as the Brad Jacobs team to Brier and Olympic glory.
“To be honest, (this) feeling is like nothing I ever imagined,” said George. “I only wish I had half of (Carter’s) mental toughness when I was curling.
“Having chased that elusive maple leaf for years… and to be able to watch him skate out wearing it, is absolutely unbelievable.
“It’s almost surreal.”
Carter George, 18, earned player of the game honours in Canada’s 4-0 win.
Jared Brown, OHL site editor for The Hockey News, described a sustained Finnish attack throughout the third period “as it became a shooting gallery for them in Canada’s zone.
“George stopped all 31 shots he faced in the contest, 20 of which came in the third period, and 12 while his team was shorthanded,” wrote Brown.
As Tara George fielded calls and messages from old curling pals, a special one came from The Curling News.
As it turns out, a very young Carter had drawn up a curling strategy scenario which we published back in our April 2013 issue.
In crayon.
“That is definitely his masterpiece,” George chuckled. “Carter was six when he drew that.
“He started playing hockey and baseball when he was five. He actually never curled, other than sitting on the rocks when he was little.
“But he loved watching curling when he was younger, and was all about the strategy.”
Following a surprising 3-2 shootout loss to Latvia in their second game, Canada faces Germany with George back in goal on Sunday night.