MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — For the 18 teams at this year’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts, there’s no denying the elephant in — or, perhaps, out of — the room.
Not competing at this year’s event is the rink skipped by five-time champion Rachel Homan, the winner of both the 2024 and 2025 titles.
With just 11 days between the Scotties final and Canada’s opener at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Curling Canada announced the decision that the country’s Olympic reps would not be competing at this year’s Canadian championship. The move also removes Homan’s rink from a shot at a third straight world championship.
But while Homan’s rink is getting ready to try to land on the Olympic podium — which includes a training camp set in Brunico, Italy, about an hour north of the curling venue in Cortina — the teams taking part in the Scotties are looking to make the most of their own moments.
Wearing the red-and-white Team Canada jersey this week is four-time champion Kerri Einarson, who won the tournament every year from 2020-23, and was a finalist last year.
“It's an absolute honour to be able to wear the red and white again. It’s definitely under different circumstances, but, yeah, it's exciting,” Einarson said this past weekend.
2026 SCOTTIES TOURNAMENT OF HEARTS: SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Einarson’s rink might be the on-paper favourite, particularly as the only player in the field who’s won a title as a skip. (Manitoba-based skip Kaitlyn Lawes was a member of Jennifer Jones’ rink for two titles, the latter of which was as an alternate, while Jolene Campbell won the Scotties in 2011 as Saskatchewan's alternate with skip Amber Holland.)
But 2025 Scotties bronze medallist Christina Black is another skip to watch, with her team coming off a finalist appearance at November’s Olympic Trials, where they knocked off Einarson’s rink in the semifinal. For Team Black, the power of positive thinking could be the key to their success over the nine-day event.
“We hit our goals whenever we set them. So our goal is to get on the top of the podium this time, not just get to the podium. We want to win,” Black said. "We know we can do it. The opportunity is there. You know, there's no Team Homan. So there's a little bit more space for someone else to capture that."
"Every team is wanting it really, really badly. They're holding the gold trophy in their eyes thinking, you know, this is my tournament," said two-time silver medallist Krista Scharf, who is representing Northern Ontario for the 13th time. "Rachel's team is unbelievable, it's nice they won (the Trials) to not be at the Scotties ... but it's a great field here as well."
Selena Sturmay’s rink out of Alberta is in their third straight edition of the tournament, and is hoping to build off a 2024 playoff appearance.
“Our first two Scotties were all about experience, and just learning kind of the beast of the Scotties. And this year, we've kind of switched gears, and we're here to win. We're here to play our best, and no more of this experience thing. We're here to do the job,” Sturmay said. "I definitely wouldn't say (the field is) wide open, but it's nice that Rachel Homan is not here. That does help the resume a little bit."
With this year’s tournament being the last in an Olympic quadrennial, we’re not too far out from an anticipated shakeup across the Canadian curling scene. But for the next week, it’s all systems go for the teams competing in trying to etch their names in Canadian curling history.
“When our backs are against the wall, we do rise to the occasion. I'm truly honoured to be able to curl with these ladies ... it's been amazing. We're going to go out there this week and give it our all,” Einarson added.
The Scotties Tournament of Hearts continues throughout the week, with the round robin wrapping up on Thursday and the final set for Sunday.
Lead photo by Curling Canada/Andrew Klaver.
