Scotties Tournament of Hearts


The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is the annual Canadian women's curling championship, sanctioned by Curling Canada, formerly called the Canadian Curling Association. The winner goes on to represent Canada at the women's world curling championships. Since 1985, the winner also gets to return to the following year's tournament as "Team Canada". It is formally known as the "Canadian Women's Curling Championship".
Since 1982, the tournament has been sponsored by Kruger Products, which was formerly known as Scott Paper Limited when it was a Canadian subsidiary of Scott Paper Company. As such, the tournament was formerly known as the Scott Tournament of Hearts; when Kimberly-Clark merged with Scott, the Canadian arm was sold to the Quebec-based Kruger Inc. – while Kruger was granted a license to use several Scott brands in Canada until June 2007, it was given a long-term license to the Scotties brand because Kimberly-Clark already owned Kleenex. As such, the tournament was officially renamed the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 2007.
Until 2018, the format was a round robin of 12 teams. Starting with the 2015 Scotties Tournament of Hearts there have been more than twelve eligible teams; therefore a pre-qualification tournament was held to trim the field to twelve. In 2018, a new 16-team format was introduced, in which all 14 member associations of Curling Canada field a team in the main draw, alongside the defending champions, and the winner of a play-in game between the two highest-ranked teams on the Canadian Team Ranking System standings that did not win their provincial championship.
At the end of the round-robin, playoffs occur to determine the championship winner. The system used is known as the Page playoff system.

History

Pre-history

1913 marked a significant point in women's curling when both the Manitoba Bonspiel and the Ontario Curling Association began holding women's curling events. Other provinces would later add provincial women's championships, but it wasn't until the 1950s that a higher level of women's curling began to occur. At this time there was a Western Canada Women's Championship but no tournament existed for the eastern provinces. By 1959, Eaton's pulled their sponsorship, giving the organizers of the Western championships an initiative to have a national championship.
In 1960, the Canadian Ladies' Curling Association was created with Dominion Stores Ltd. seeking to sponsor a national championship. That year, an eastern championship occurred so that the winner could play the winner of the western championship. In this event, Ruth Smith and her team from Lacolle, Quebec faced off against Joyce McKee's team from Saskatchewan with McKee winning. The game between the two teams was played in Oshawa, Ontario.
The following year a tournament was organized with the same format as the Brier and was held in Ottawa. McKee won again, with a new front end of Barbara MacNevin and Rosa McFee.

Early history

In 1967, Dominion Stores were unable to reach a compromise with the organizers of the tournament, and their sponsorship fell. The Canadian Ladies' Curling Association ran the tournament by themselves with no main sponsor.
Sylvia Fedoruk, after assuming the presidency of the Canadian Ladies' Curling Association found a title sponsor in the Macdonald Tobacco Company, the same sponsor as the Brier. Their sponsorship began in 1972 with the tournament being called the "Macdonald Lassie" championship, after the company's trademark.
In 1979, under increasing pressure from the anti-tobacco policies of the Canadian Government, the Macdonald Tobacco Company pulled their sponsorship from both the Brier and the Women's championship. The Canadian Ladies' Curling Association ran the tournament without a main sponsor again for the next couple of years. 1979 also marked the first year of the Women's World Curling Championship, where the national champion would play. Also, the 1979 event was the first tournament to feature a playoff. Before then, the championship team was the one with the best round robin record.

Tournament of Hearts

, a member of the 1979 championship team, and a former employee of Scott Paper led an effort to get the company to sponsor the championships. It was successful, and in 1982 the first Scott Tournament of Hearts was held.
The Scott Tournament of Hearts would last 25 years, and saw the likes of many great teams. The first Tournament of Hearts was won by Colleen Jones and her Nova Scotia team. It would take her 17 years to win another, but she would cap it off with another four championships for a grand total of six championships. In 2018, Colleen Jones' feat of six championships was equaled by Manitoba's Jennifer Jones. Other great curlers at the Hearts have been Chris More and Connie Laliberte of Manitoba, Heather Houston, Marilyn Bodogh and Rachel Homan of Ontario, Vera Pezer and Sandra Schmirler of Saskatchewan, Cathy Borst, Shannon Kleibrink and Chelsea Carey of Alberta and Lindsay Sparkes and Kelly Scott of British Columbia.
The new sponsorship made the tournament popular when it began to be televised. Today, TSN covers the entire tournament. CBC had covered the semi-finals and the finals up until the 2007–08 season. In 2013, Sportsnet and City began to offer coverage of the finals of the provincial playdowns in Manitoba, Ontario, and Alberta as well.
As a Tournament of Hearts tradition, the members of the winning team receive gold rings in the four-heart design of the Tournament of Hearts logo, set with a.25-carat diamond. The runners-up receive the same rings, with rubies instead of diamonds, and the third-place team receives gold rings set with emeralds.

Past champions

Diamond D Championship

Canadian Ladies Curling Association Championship

Macdonald Lassies Championship

TournamentWinning LocaleWinning TeamFinalist LocaleFinalist TeamHost
1979Lindsay Sparkes, Dawn Knowles, Robin Wilson, Lorraine BowlesChris Pidzarko, Rose Tanasichuk, Iris Armstrong, Patti VandeMount Royal, Quebec

Canadian Ladies Curling Association Championship

Scott Tournament of Hearts

Scotties Tournament of Hearts

Top 3 finishes table

As of the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts
Province / Locale1st2nd3rdTotal
1112831
116825
981027
97723
810422
681327
43613
1236
1214
0336
0224
0112
0101
0011

Award winners

Sandra Schmirler Most Valuable Player Award

The Sandra Schmirler Most Valuable Player Award is awarded by the media to the most valuable player during the playoffs at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The 2020 winner was Kerri Einarson of Manitoba.

Shot of the Week Award

The Shot of the Week Award is presented by the organizing committee to the player who makes the most outstanding shot during the tournament. The award has not been presented since 2013.

Marj Mitchell Sportsmanship Award

The Marj Mitchell Sportsmanship Award is awarded annually to the most sportsmanlike curler at the Tournament of Hearts every year. The award has been presented since 1982, and has been named in Mitchell's honour since 1998. In 2020, the Marj Mitchell Sportsmanship Award was presented to Rachelle Brown of Team Canada.

Joan Mead Builder Award

The Joan Mead Builder Award goes to someone in the curling community that significantly contributes to the growth and development of women's curling in Canada. It has been awarded annually since 2001.
Winners
;2020
First Team
Second Team
;2019
First Team
Second Team
;2018
First Team
Second Team
;2017
First Team
Second Team
;2016
First Team
Second Team
;2015
First Team
Second Team
;2014
First Team
Second Team
;2013
First Team
Second Team
;2012
First Team
Second Team
;2011
First Team
Second Team
;2010
First Team
Second Team
;2009
First Team
Second Team
;2008
First Team
Second Team
;2007
First Team
Second Team
;2006
First Team
Second Team
;2005
First Team
Second Team
;2004
First Team
Second Team
;2003
First Team
Second Team
;2002
First Team
Second Team
;2001
First Team
Second Team
;2000
First Team
Second Team
;1999
First Team
Second Team
;1998
First Team
Second Team
;1997
First Team
Second Team
;1996
;1995
;1994
;1993
;1992
;1991
;1990
;1989
;1988
;1987
;1986
;1985
;1984
;1983
;1982

Records

Number of games played (since 1982)

As of the 2020 Scotties; excluding pre-qualifying and wild card games
RankPlayerTeamGames played
1Colleen Jones
227
2Jennifer Jones

Wild Card		200
3Kim Kelly
180
4Jill Officer
166
4Mary-Anne Arsenault
166
6Dawn McEwen


Wild Card		164
7Cathy Overton-Clapham
159
8Cathy Cunningham140
9Nancy Delahunt
136
10Heather Strong134
11Kerry Galusha
131
12Suzanne Birt125
13Heidi Hanlon124
14Kathy Floyd121
15Janet Arnott
118
16Kathy Kerr117
17Jan Betker
113
18Kim Dolan111
19Michelle Englot

104
20Connie Laliberte
103
20Georgina Wheatcroft
103
22Heather Martin102
23Marcia Gudereit
101
23Kelly Scott
101
25Sharon Cormier
100
25Robyn MacPhee100
25Krista McCarville
100