Grand Slam of Curling continues to tweak shootout, extra end experiment

The Grand Slam of Curling continues to tinker with a draw-to-the-button shootout to replace extra ends, but the latter is making a comeback in Saskatoon this week.

A shootout was implemented for the preliminary round and tiebreakers at the season-opening AMJ Masters in September, and then expanded to include playoffs in October's Co-op Tour Challenge and November's Kioti GSOC Tahoe.

The change produced dramatic moments in big games. Swedish skip Anna Hasselborg drew to the button in a women's semifinal in the Tour Challenge, but Canada's Rachel Homan covered the pinhole to advance in Nisku, Alta.

Scotland's Bruce Mouat outdrew Canada's Matt Dunstone by three millimetres to take the men's final in Tahoe.

Marketing — limiting the length of a game for TV, plus the buzz of a head-to-head element similar to that of NHL shootouts — were among reasons for implementing it.

Curlers have given it mixed reviews. A dozen teams representing nine countries at the HearingLife Canadian Open in Saskatoon are headed to the Olympic Games, which was a consideration in resurrecting extra ends for tiebreakers and playoffs there.

Round-robin games in Saskatoon retained the shootout to resolve ties. Playoffs start Saturday.

"A lot of these athletes are heading to the Olympics in February," said world and Olympic champion Jennifer Jones, who is a member of The Curling Group that bought the Grand Slam circuit in 2024.

"It does change the strategy a little bit. Some players loved it. Some players didn't like it at all. And some players said 'I'm OK with it during the round robin, but in the playoffs, I want to have an extra end.'

"So listening to the feedback and trying to just balance all of the priorities."

Extra ends for tiebreakers and