The Biggest Names in Curling are Drafted During the TRAVELERS ALL-STAR CURLING SKINS DRAFT SHOW Presented by Pinty’s, January 10

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BANFF (January 6, 2014) – One by one, Brad Jacobs, Brad Gushue, Kevin Martin, and Jeff Stoughton will shake up their rinks by picking a new crop of teammates during the TRAVELERS ALL-STAR CURLING SKINS DRAFT SHOW Presented by Pinty’s (see below for complete list of participating curlers). Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the network’s 30-minute original production airs Friday, Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on TSN2.

The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSN’s annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre.

Vic Rauter hosts TSN’s second consecutive all-star curling draft show alongside Bryan Mudryk, who will be interviewing curlers after they have been selected.

All curlers will be wearing a microphone throughout the broadcast to give fans unfiltered access as the skips make their picks.

Following a snake style-draft format, the TRAVELERS ALL-STAR CURLING SKINS DRAFT SHOW Presented by Pinty’s features each skip drafting a new third, second, and lead – ensuring fans will see their favourite curlers compete with new teammates. Some of the potential scenarios include:

• Will Brad Jacobs pick any past Olympians? Ahead of Sochi 2014, Team Canada’s skip may look to draw from a pool of Olympic experience, which includes Olympic gold medallists John Morris, Mark Nichols, Marc Kennedy, and Ben Hebert.

• Will John Morris and Kevin Martin be reunited? Before parting ways prior to this curling season, the duo combined for two Brier wins (2008 and 2009) and an Olympic gold medal in Vancouver.

• Will Kevin Martin take a chance on Ryan Fry? Martin is the only skip in the All-Star field that Fry has never competed with at a Brier (Fry played with Stoughton in 2007, with Gushue from 2009-2012, and won with Jacobs in 2013).

• Will former teammates John Morris, Brent Laing, and/or Craig Savill be drafted to the same team? Together, these three curlers won two World Junior titles (1998-99) and competed in the 2002 Brier final.

• Will Brad Gushue select Mark Nichols? Before Nichols moved to Manitoba to play with Team Jeff Stoughton, he and Gushue represented Newfoundland & Labrador in eight Briers and became Olympic gold medallists in 2006.  

The TRAVELERS ALL-STAR CURLING SKINS DRAFT SHOW Presented by Pinty’s features the following Top 16 curlers, as chosen by fans:

The TRAVELERS ALL-STAR CURLING SKINS GAME Presented by Pinty’s will be one of the last major curling events featuring Brad Jacobs and his rink before they head to Russia for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

The event’s sponsors include title sponsor Travelers, presenting sponsor Pinty’s, as well as official partners Rimrock Resort Hotel, VTech, Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA), Nature’s Path, Canada Goose, Town of Banff, and Banff/Lake Louise Tourism.

Curling on TSN

As the official broadcaster of the Canadian Curling Association, TSN broadcasts close to 300 hours of live Season of Champions curling each year, including the TIM HORTONS ROAR OF THE RINGS, TIM HORTONS BRIER, and SCOTTIES TOURNAMENT OF HEARTS, along with the WORLD MEN’S CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP, FORD WORLD WOMEN’S CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP, CAPITAL ONE CANADA CUP, WFG CONTINENTAL CUP, and M&M CANADIAN JUNIORS.

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