TheCanada Cup(branded as theHome HardwareCanada Cupfor sponsorship reasons, and also referred to as theCanada Cup of Curling) is a major men's and women's curling championship in Canada. It is organized byCurling Canadaand is one of its major events on its "Season of Champions". The event is frequently used as a qualifier for various other events, such as theCanadian Olympic Curling Trials,Pre-Trials andContinental Cup.Since 2013, the Canada Cup is not held during the same curling season as theWinter Olympic Games.
The first event was held in 2003 at theSport Mart PlaceinKamloops, British Columbia,the Cup's home until 2008. During this time the event was sponsored by theStrauss Herb Company.The first event featured a total purse of $220,000, divided equally for the men's and women's events. Subsequent events however have seen smaller purses available.[1]
The 2009-10 season was without a Canada Cup, with the event returning in December 2010 rather in the Spring like it had been previously. The Canada Cup qualifiers were abolished for the 2010 event, using a number of smaller bonspiels to feed the event. The 2010 event was held at theMedicine Hat ArenainMedicine Hat, Alberta.[1]
The2011 eventinCranbrook, British Columbiahosted seven teams of each gender instead of ten. The teams played in a round robin as in previous years, with the top three advancing to the playoff round. The second and third-placed teams played in the semifinal, and the winner faced the first-placed team in the final. The2012 eventused the same format.[1]
At present, there are no longer any qualifying tournaments. Teams qualify based on theirWorld Curling TourOrder of Merit rankings, with one spot reserved for the top-ranking non-qualified team on theCanadian Team Ranking Systemcloser to the event.[3]
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Canada,Curling Canada stated that the 2020 Canada Cup would likely be postponed to an unspecified date in 2021, citing its role in qualification for trials for the2022 Winter Olympics.[4]The 2021 event ultimately did not go ahead, and there are no plans to hold the event in the near future.[5]It was replaced on Curling Canada's Season of Champions calendar by thePointsBet Invitational.[6]
John Epping
