3rd time's a charm? Scotties Tournament of Hearts to return to Thunder Bay, Ont., in 2025

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is returning to Thunder Bay and this time — fingers crossed — the curlers won't be contending with COVID-19.

Curling Canada announced Tuesday that the 2025 Canadian women's curling championship will be held in the northwestern Ontario city.

This isn't the first time Thunder Bay has been chosen as host:

"We call that our dress rehearsal," Diane Imrie, vice-chair of the 2025 Scotties committee, said of last year's tournament.

"There's no disputing the fact we were disappointed that in 2022, we couldn't put on a full event, so we are thrilled that Curling Canada saw what they liked when they were here in 2022 and they're coming back again."

As Thunder Bay gears up for 2025, there's a whole year of competition first. The 2024 Scotties event is set for Feb. 16 to 25 at the WinSport Event Centre at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.

The dates for 2025 are Feb. 14 to 23, at Thunder Bay's Fort William Gardens. The winner will move on to the 2025 World Women's Championship and qualify for the 2025 Canadian Curling Trials, where Canada's four-player teams for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy will be decided.

The 2025 Scotties winner will also return in 2026 as defending champion Team Canada.

Northwestern Ontario has a long and decorated curling history; this marks the sixth time the Canadian women's curling championship will be hosted by the Northern Ontario Curling Association. 

"This is a curling area. We like to call ourselves the centre of Curling Canada," Imrie said.

From the Iceman Al Hackner to Krista McCarville, the region has produced a long line of pros.

Team McCarville, which competed at this year's Scotties in Kamloops, B.C., is already setting its sights on the 2025 tournament. 

"We're