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After reaching the finals of last weekend’s BDO Classic Canadian Open in Winnipeg, Man., Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) has soared to the top of the men’s 2009-10 Capital One Cup standings. Howard’s runner-up finish to Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.) at the BDO Classic Canadian Open gave the defending Capital One Cup champion nine additional points, for a total of 16.  Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.) currently sits in second place with 14 points while Martin and Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.), The Swiss Chalet National champion, are tied for third place with 13 points each. Jennifer Jones (Winnipeg, Man.), who captured the inaugural 2008-09 Capital One Cup, continues to lead the women’s standings with 21 points. Kelly Scott (Kelowna, B.C.) is in second place with 14 points.  Canadian 2010 Olympic representative Cheryl Bernard (Calgary, Alta.), Amber Holland (Regina, Sask.) and Cathy King (Edmonton, Alta.) are all currently tied fo ...

Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Canada’s 2010 Olympic representative, captured his record 14th career Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event title this afternoon after defeating defending champion Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) 6-4 in the finals of the BDO Classic Canadian Open at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man. The five-day event concluded with a total attendance of 43,392. Today’s final against Howard was Team Martin’s last competitive game before travelling to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. “You can’t ask for better (Olympic) preparation than this, with the ice being almost perfect and probably a lot like it will be in Vancouver,” said Martin.  “I know (Team Norway) would feel the same way.  It was great for them to be here and play on those kinds of conditions and just to get ready. And you can’t find better competition than the Grand Slam either.  So the timing is perfect.” The victory was M ...

Alma Laidlaw, 63, of Guelph, Ont. won $1,000 in the finals of the Capital One Million Dollar Button contest today at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man. after her rock failed to reach the rings. “It was a lot harder not having a practice shot,” said Laidlaw following her throw. “It was hard to know what weight to throw but the whole experience has been a fabulous opportunity.” As the national finalist of the Capital One Million Dollar Button contest, Laidlaw had just one opportunity to cover the button for $1 million (CDN). Laidlaw’s $1 million attempt aired live on CBC Television during the fourth end break of the BDO Classic Canadian Open championship game between Kevin Martin and Glenn Howard. Laidlaw advanced to the finals of the Capital One Million Dollar Button contest yesterday after emerging from a pool of six semi-finalists when her rock landed 63.5 inches / 161.3 centimetres from the button – the closest of all the competitors. D ...

Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Canada’s 2010 Olympic representative, and defending champion Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) will meet in the finals of the BDO Classic Canadian Open tomorrow afternoon for the second straight season after each team posted convincing victories this evening in the semi-finals of the season’s third Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man. Martin qualified for the final after defeating Thomas Ulsrud (Olso, Norway), Norway’s 2010 Olympic representative, 6-3 while Howard overpowered Wayne Middaugh (Etobicoke, Ont.) 7-2 in the other semi-final. With the victories, both teams advance to the championship game with identical 7-0 records. On Sunday, the two squads will meet for the first time since the finals of the 2009 Canadian Olympic Trials. “We’ve played Glenn so much but I know the last time we played was in the (Canadian Olympic) Trials final,” said Martin.  “He’ll be after us hard ...

WINNIPEG, January 23, 2010 – The following is an overview of the results from the quarterfinals of the BDO Classic Canadian Open, the third leg of the men’s 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series. The BDO Classic Canadian Open is scheduled to take place from January 20-24, 2010 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man. During the course of the event, members of the media can access live scoring, tournament news, schedule and statistical information by visiting the official Capital One Grand Slam of Curling website at www.grandslamofcurling.com. Members of the media wishing to arrange a phone interview with any of the participating athletes during the tournament are asked to contact Eric Michalko, Marketing & Communications Director at (416) 669-2401 or eric@wendykane.com. Saturday, January 23 2:00 p.m. CT Record Team Hometown 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 E Total (5-1) *Thomas Ulsrud Oslo, Norway 3 0 0 1 0 0 ...

Defending champion Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) and Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Canada’s 2010 Olympic representative, will enter the quarterfinals of the BDO Classic Canadian Open as the top two seeds respectively after completing round robin play with perfect 5-0 records during the season’s third Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series event, taking place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man. Howard kept his perfect record intact this evening with a dramatic 5-4 come from behind victory over Pat Simmons (Davidson, Sask.).  Trailing 4-3 after seven ends, Howard stole consecutive points in the eighth and extra ends to pull out the victory. Howard, the defending Capital One Cup champion, qualified for the quarterfinals earlier in the day after squeezing past John Shuster (Duluth, Minnesota), the United States’ 2010 Olympic representative, 4-3. Martin put the finishing touches on his fifth straight victory this evening with a convincing 7-3 decision over Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld). This afterno ...

Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Canada’s 2010 Olympic representative, defending champion Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.), Thomas Ulsrud (Oslo, Norway), Norway’s 2010 Olympic representative, and Wayne Middaugh (Etobicoke, Ont.) became the first four teams to qualify for the quarterfinals at the BDO Classic Canadian Open this evening following the conclusion of the eighth draw at the season’s third Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series event, taking place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man. The top three seeds in their respective pools to open the tournament, Martin, Howard and Ulsrud all sit at 4-0 heading into the evening’s final round robin draw at 8:30 p.m. ET. Middaugh, defeated Chris Schille (Edmonton, Alta.) 6-2 this evening to conclude the preliminary round with a record of 4-1. Martin qualified for the playoff round this afternoon after edging Bob Ursel (Kelowna, B.C.) 6-4. In a tightly contested affair, Martin opened the game with a point, followed by a steal of another point, to establish ...

Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Canada’s 2010 Olympic representative, defending champion Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) and Thomas Ulsrud (Oslo, Norway), Norway’s 2010 Olympic representative, all sit tied atop of the leaderboard with perfect 3-0 records following the first five draws of the BDO Classic Canadian Open, the men’s third 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series event, taking place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man. Pat Simmons (Davidson, Sask.) is also undefeated at the event with a record of 2-0. Martin continued his strong play this week, defeating previously unbeaten Jean-Michel Ménard (Quebec City, Que.) 10-4 this evening for his third consecutive victory. After giving up a steal of one point in the first end, Martin jumped ahead in the following frame, executing an open draw for three points. Tied at 3-3 in the fourth end, Martin was given a golden opportunity to reclaim the lead after Ménard's double takeout attempt sailed through the house. The miscue gave Martin an eas ...

Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Canada’s 2010 Olympic representative, and defending champion Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) head a group of seven teams that sit tied atop of the leaderboard with a record of 2-0 following the first four draws of the BDO Classic Canadian Open, the men’s third 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series event, taking place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man. Joining Martin and Howard in a seven-way tie for first place are Thomas Ulsrud (Oslo, Norway), Norway’s 2010 Olympic representative, Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.), Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg, Man.), Jean-Michel Ménard (Quebec City, Que.) and Pat Simmons (Davidson, Sask.). Earlier in the day, Martin picked up his second consecutive victory after scoring two points in the final end to defeat Wayne Middaugh (Etobicoke, Ont.) 7-5. Howard remained undefeated after powering past Mike McEwen (Winnipeg, Man.) 9-3 this afternoon. Ulsrud moved to 2-0 after earning an 8-4 decision over Ted Appelman (Edmonton, Alta.) and ...

Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Canada’s 2010 Olympic representative, opened the BDO Classic Canadian Open with a victory this evening after defeating Chris Schille (Edmonton, Alta.) 6-1 during the first draw of the men’s third 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series event, taking place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man. Tied at 1-1, Martin grabbed his first lead of the game in the fourth end after Schille was unable to tap his own rock onto the button.  The miscue gave Martin a steal of two points and a 3-1 advantage. Martin added steals of one point in the sixth, and two points in the seventh end, to close out the game. “That was a good, solid effort,” said Martin.  “Let’s hope it carries over until tomorrow, but the (shooting percentages) are what matter to us right now, more so than the wins.” As a foursome, Team Martin shot 80 percent while Schille’s squad shot 68 percent. Two weeks ago, Martin missed the playoffs for the first time in 24 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events ...