By Jonathan Brazeau
VICTORIA — It was the most anticipated game of the Co-op Invitational since the draw schedule was set: Canada’s Team Brad Jacobs versus Sweden’s Team Oskar Eriksson.
A sizeable crowd was on hand Friday night at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre regardless, cheering on hometown heroes Team Taylor Reese-Hansen, but they were just as engaged and enthralled by the grudge match of Olympic proportions happening on the adjacent sheet. Here we are now. Entertain us.
It was the first game between the two sides since their fiery round-robin encounter during the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina. Eriksson, then throwing third stones for legendary skip Niklas Edin, accused Team Jacobs third Marc Kennedy of illegally double-touching a rock. Colourful words were exchanged in the viral moment that became one of the hottest talking points of the Games, lingering on even as Jacobs went on to capture Olympic gold.
With Edin stepping back and Eriksson taking the reins, he just so happened to slot into the same pool as Jacobs for the Co-op Invitational, the season’s first Grand Slam of Curling tournament. What a coincidence?
The fans in the stands were buzzing, and you could sense they were about to come unglued in the sixth end when Eriksson’s rock was left exposed, allowing Jacobs to finish it off with an open takeout to score four points and win 8-3 amid the eruption of cheers.
"I think it really showed what that game meant to the fans," Jacobs said. "I think it showed what it meant to Canadians and the overall feel of having Canadian pride. ... It's been about eight months since the Olympics and since everything went down when we played those guys, and still the crowd has not forgotten about that.
"You could tell they were really pulling for us tonight, and they were really happy to see us get that win against that team in particular. I thought it was just awesome. I'll use a Benny (Hebert) line. There aren't too many new experiences we get in life, and certainly, that was one of them here tonight."
The rivalry might have been front of mind for the crowd; for Jacobs, there was a job to do. His team already had a spot in the quarterfinals locked down with three straight wins to start the tournament, but finishing the preliminary round 4-0 and taking the No. 1 seed would secure the hammer through the playoffs.
"It’s just nice to get another win. The reality of that win is 4-0, top of the table, four grand in the jeans, and hammer all the way through the playoffs … so that's an important win," Jacobs said.
"Brett (Gallant) likes to remind us of how important that hammer is. We haven't been too great at getting hammer here this week, so to have it throughout the playoffs, should we go all the way to the final, is excellent."
Head down. Full focus on the task at hand.
"You bet it was. I know that there were some emotions, maybe by both teams, before that game, but once the game started and both teams settled in, it's just business as usual,” Jacobs said. “We're trying to win the game, and that's what we did. We outplayed them tonight. We're the better team right now. I think we showed that, and hopefully, we can continue to get better with this team."
Although other teams have played at least a couple of events already this season, the Co-op Invitational is Jacobs's tour season debut. If Jacobs, Kennedy, Gallant and Hebert are dealing with any rust, they’re certainly not showing it, as they’ve seemingly picked up where they left off last season.
"It’s great to be 4-0. We played some good teams here this week, and I think we've been getting stronger and stronger every game," Jacobs said. "I think everyone feels really comfortable and excited to be back out on the ice, making lots of shots and putting lots of points on the board. Everyone's comfortable, and I think we're just enjoying playing with one another again."
Jacobs had won the Brier and Olympic gold before capturing his first Grand Slam in 2015. He now owns seven Slam titles, but the skip from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, finds himself in a similar situation as he did with his old lineup over a decade ago. He's won the Brier and Olympic gold with this crew, but a Slam remains elusive.
Jacobs said "it would mean a lot" to check that off the list, especially with Kennedy sitting one back of Kevin Martin’s record in the men’s division.
"Marc is on the cusp of tying Kevin Martin for the most Slams of all time, so we all have that in our minds," said Jacobs, whose most recent Slam win came in January 2020. "I haven't won a Slam in a long time, and our team has never won a Slam together, so that would be a great title to achieve here this week.
“If it doesn't happen, that's OK. We're going to still continue to just try to play loose, play free, have fun out there and give it everything we've got. Hopefully, we can get a Slam title as a team this year."
As Jacobs's journey continues into the weekend, Eriksson heads home, having already been eliminated from playoff contention and finishing winless at 0-4.
