Curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Curling
at the XX Olympic Winter Games
VenuePinerolo Palaghiaccio
Dates13–24 February 2006
Competitors100 from 13 nations
← 2002
2010 →
Men's curling
at the XX Olympic Winter Games
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Canada
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Finland
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  United States
Women's curling
at the XX Olympic Winter Games
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Sweden
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Switzerland
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Canada

Curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics was held in the town of Pinerolo, Italy from February 13 to February 24. It proved to be the sleeper hit in terms of television ratings in Italy. According to a CBC feature, curling at the 2006 Winter Games drew 5 million viewers, eclipsing ice hockey and figure skating. This, and the success of the Italian men's curling team created a surge of interest in curling within Italy, where there was no previous tradition of the sport and only a few hundred players.

Summary[edit]

Days before the 2006 Winter Games began, the IOC confirmed that the curling competition at the 1924 Winter Olympics was an official event, and not a demonstration event as many authoritative sources had previously claimed. However, the IOC itself had never done so. This official confirmation was the culmination of an investigative campaign begun by the Glasgow-based newspaper The Herald [1], on behalf of the families of the eight Scots who won the first curling Olympic gold medal in Chamonix, France in 1924. The winning team was selected by the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, Perth, the mother club of curling.

The curling arena of Pinerolo

Defending champion skips Rhona Martin of Great Britain & Northern Ireland and Pål Trulsen of Norway returned to defend their gold medals. Joining Martin on the women's side were 2005 World champion Anette Norberg of Sweden, 2002 World Junior champion Cassandra Johnson of the United States of America, two-time world champion Dordi Nordby of Norway, 1996 European champion Mirjam Ott of Switzerland, 2004 Canadian Mixed champion Shannon Kleibrink of Canada, 2005 European Junior Challenge champion Ludmila Privivkova of Russia, three time Pacific Curling champion Ayumi Onodera of Japan, 1994 European champion Dorthe Holm of Denmark, and for the host country, 2003 World Junior bronze medalist Diana Gaspari from Italy.

Joining Trulsen on the men's side was 2001 World Junior Champion Brad Gushue of Canada with the help of two-time World champion Russ Howard calling the shots, former World Junior champion and European champion David Murdoch of Great Britain, two-time European champion Andy Kapp of Germany, 2000 European champion and 2005 European mixed champion Markku Uusipaavalniemi of Finland, 1993 World Championship bronze medalist Pete Fenson of the United States of America, 1997 World Junior champion Ralph Stöckli of Switzerland, three-time Pacific Curling champion Sean Becker of New Zealand, three-time World Champion Peja Lindholm of Sweden, and the host Italian team skipped by Joel Retornaz.

Fixtures and results
Women's: Teams - Standings - Schedule - Percentages - Final standings
Draw 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Semi-finals - Bronze medal game - Gold medal game
Men's: Teams - Standings - Schedule - Percentages - Final standings
Draw 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Semi-finals - Bronze medal game - Gold medal game
Olympic qualifying
External links

Women's[edit]

Women's tournament[edit]

Medal Team
Gold Anette Norberg, Eva Lund, Cathrine Lindahl, Anna Svärd, and Ulrika Bergman
 Sweden
Silver Mirjam Ott, Binia Beeli, Valeria Spälty, Michèle Moser, and Manuela Kormann
 Switzerland
Bronze Shannon Kleibrink, Amy Nixon, Glenys Bakker, Christine Keshen, and Sandra Jenkins
 Canada

Teams[edit]

Nation Skip Third Second Lead Alternate Club
 Canada Shannon Kleibrink Amy Nixon Glenys Bakker Christine Keshen Sandra Jenkins Calgary Winter Club, Calgary
 Denmark Dorthe Holm Denise Dupont Lene Nielsen Malene Krause Maria Poulsen Hvidovre CC, Hvidovre
 Great Britain Rhona Martin Jackie Lockhart Kelly Wood Lynn Cameron Deborah Knox Greenacres CC, Howwood
 Italy Diana Gaspari Giulia Lacedelli Rosa Pompanin Violetta Caldart Eleonora Alvera New Wave CC, Cortina d'Ampezzo
 Japan Ayumi Onodera Yumie Hayashi Mari Motohashi Moe Meguro Sakurako Terada Aomori CC, Aomori
 Norway Dordi Nordby Marianne Haslum Marianne Rørvik Camilla Holth Charlotte Hovring Snarøen CC, Bærum
 Russia Ludmila Privivkova Nkeiruka Ezekh Olga Jarkova Ekaterina Galkina Yana Nekrasova Сombined team
 Sweden Anette Norberg Eva Lund Cathrine Lindahl Anna Svärd Ulrika Bergman Härnösands CK Härnösand
 Switzerland Mirjam Ott Binia Beeli Valeria Spälty Michèle Moser Manuela Kormann Flims CC, Flims
 United States Cassandra Johnson Jamie Johnson Jessica Schultz Maureen Brunt Courtney George Bemidji CC, Bemidji

Standings[edit]

Nation Skip W L PF PA Ends
won
Ends
lost
Blank
ends
Stolen
ends
Shot
pct.
 Sweden Anette Norberg 7 2 61 54 41 36 14 11 79%
 Switzerland Mirjam Ott 7 2 74 44 37 32 11 10 75%
 Canada Shannon Kleibrink 6 3 68 51 39 32 16 10 75%
 Norway Dordi Nordby 6 3 73 54 45 32 5 16 73%
 Great Britain Rhona Martin 5 4 55 54 31 35 17 6 76%
 Russia Ludmila Privivkova 5 4 57 60 41 36 14 11 77%
 Japan Ayumi Onodera 4 5 53 59 36 35 16 11 72%
 United States Cassandra Johnson 2 7 58 66 34 38 11 9 73%
 Denmark Dorthe Holm 2 7 47 69 27 42 12 3 72%
 Italy Diana Gaspari 1 8 44 79 33 43 9 4 66%

Schedule[edit]

Draw 1 - Monday, February 13, 1400[edit]

Note: hammers denote the team that had the last stone in the first end.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Norway (Nordby) 0 1 0 0 3 0 3 2 1 1 11
 United States (Johnson) (has hammer) 2 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Canada (Kleibrink) 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 0 5
 Sweden (Norberg) (has hammer) 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Switzerland (Ott) 0 0 4 0 2 0 3 2 X X 11
 Italy (Gaspari) (has hammer) 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 X X 4
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Great Britain (Martin) (has hammer) 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3
 Denmark (Holm) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2

Draw 2 - Tuesday, February 14, 0900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Russia (Privivkova) (has hammer) 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 3 7
 Japan (Onodera) 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Switzerland (Ott) 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 4
 Great Britain (Martin) (has hammer) 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Norway (Nordby) (has hammer) 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 2 4 10
 Sweden (Norberg) 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 3
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 United States (Johnson) 0 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 X X 5
 Canada (Kleibrink) (has hammer) 5 1 0 1 0 3 0 1 X X 11

Draw 3 - Tuesday, February 14, 1900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Italy (Gaspari) 0 3 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 7
 Denmark (Holm) (has hammer) 1 0 1 0 4 0 3 0 1 0 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
 United States (Johnson) (has hammer) 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 5
 Japan (Onodera) 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Canada (Kleibrink) 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 6
 Russia (Privivkova) (has hammer) 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Norway (Nordby) 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 X X X 2
 Switzerland (Ott) (has hammer) 2 0 1 1 1 0 4 X X X 9

Draw 4 - Wednesday, February 15, 1400[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Sweden (Norberg) (has hammer) 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 8
 Great Britain (Martin) 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Italy (Gaspari) (has hammer) 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 6
 Russia (Privivkova) 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 4
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Japan (Onodera) (has hammer) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 X 4
 Norway (Nordby) 1 0 0 3 1 0 2 0 2 X 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Denmark (Holm) 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3
 United States (Johnson) (has hammer) 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 2 8

Draw 5 - Thursday, February 16, 0900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Canada (Kleibrink) (has hammer) 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 5
 Switzerland (Ott) 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Japan (Onodera) 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 5
 Denmark (Holm) (has hammer) 1 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 2 1 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Russia (Privivkova) 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4
 Great Britain (Martin) (has hammer) 2 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Sweden (Norberg) 0 0 2 0 3 0 1 0 1 1 8
 Italy (Gaspari) (has hammer) 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 4

Draw 6 - Thursday, February 16, 1900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
 Sweden (Norberg) (has hammer) 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 5
 United States (Johnson) 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 4
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Denmark (Holm) 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 X X X 2
 Switzerland (Ott) (has hammer) 0 3 0 0 1 3 3 X X X 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Canada (Kleibrink) 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 3 2 0 10
 Norway (Nordby) (has hammer) 1 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 2 8

Draw 7 - Friday, February 17, 1400[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
 United States (Johnson) 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 7
 Russia (Privivkova) (has hammer) 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 1 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
 Norway (Nordby) 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 2 9
 Italy (Gaspari) (has hammer) 0 2 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Great Britain (Martin) 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 X 3
 Canada (Kleibrink) (has hammer) 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 4 X 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Switzerland (Ott) 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 7
 Sweden (Norberg) (has hammer) 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 4 0 9

Draw 8 - Saturday, February 18, 0900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Great Britain (Martin) (has hammer) 0 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 1 9
 Italy (Gaspari) 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Russia (Privivkova) 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 4
 Switzerland (Ott) (has hammer) 1 2 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Sweden (Norberg) 0 2 0 0 2 2 4 0 X X 10
 Denmark (Holm) (has hammer) 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 X X 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Japan (Onodera) (has hammer) 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 5
 Canada (Kleibrink) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2

Draw 9 - Saturday, February 18, 1900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
 Japan (Onodera) (has hammer) 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 7
 Sweden (Norberg) 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 2 0 1 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Great Britain (Martin) 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 X 4
 Norway (Nordby) (has hammer) 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 X 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Italy (Gaspari) 0 0 0 0 3 0 X X X X 3
 United States (Johnson) (has hammer) 0 2 3 2 0 4 X X X X 11

Draw 10 - Sunday, February 19, 1400[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Switzerland (Ott) 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 9
 United States (Johnson) (has hammer) 2 0 0 1 2 0 2 0 1 0 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Italy (Gaspari) 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 X 4
 Canada (Kleibrink) (has hammer) 1 2 2 0 2 0 0 2 2 X 11
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Great Britain (Martin) 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 X 5
 Japan (Onodera) (has hammer) 0 2 1 0 3 0 1 0 3 X 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Russia (Privivkova) (has hammer) 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 2 0 1 9
 Denmark (Holm) 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 7

Draw 11 - Monday, February 20, 0900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Sweden (Norberg) (has hammer) 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 4
 Russia (Privivkova) 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Denmark (Holm) 0 0 1 0 0 0 X X X X 1
 Norway (Nordby) (has hammer) 3 1 0 1 1 2 X X X X 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Italy (Gaspari) (has hammer) 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 4
 Japan (Onodera) 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 6

Draw 12 - Monday, February 20, 1900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Denmark (Holm) (has hammer) 2 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 8
 Canada (Kleibrink) 0 3 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Switzerland (Ott) (has hammer) 1 2 0 4 0 0 0 4 X X 11
 Japan (Onodera) 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 X X 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Norway (Nordby) 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 2 1 0 8
 Russia (Privivkova) (has hammer) 2 0 1 0 3 0 3 0 0 1 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 United States (Johnson) 0 1 0 3 0 0 X X X X 4
 Great Britain (Martin) (has hammer) 2 0 4 0 3 1 X X X X 10

Semi-finals - Wednesday, February 22, 1400[edit]

1 vs. 4
In a close game, Sweden's Anette Norberg (1) edged out Norway's Dordi Nordby (4). The turning point of the game came in the eighth end when Sweden scored the only steal of the game. From this point on the Swedish team was ahead. Anette Norberg curled 85% while Dordi Nordby struggled, which was the difference in the game.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Sweden (Norberg) 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 5
 Norway (Nordby) (has hammer) 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 4
Player percentages
 Sweden  Norway
Anna Svärd 86% Camilla Holth 71%
Cathrine Lindahl 79% Marianne Rørvik 86%
Eva Lund 93% Marianne Haslum 79%
Anette Norberg 86% Dordi Nordby 68%
Total 86% Total 76%

2 vs. 3
In the other semi-final, Canada's Shannon Kleibrink team (3) faced off against Mirjam Ott of Switzerland (2). After Ott scored 3 in the third end getting a split off a rock in front of the house, Kleibrink was unable to mount a comeback. The Swiss team managed to keep in the lead for the rest of the game. Mirjam Ott curling 88% in the game ensured victory for the Swiss team, while Shannon Kleibrink struggled at 66%.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Switzerland (Ott) 0 0 3 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 7
 Canada (Kleibrink) (has hammer) 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 5
Player percentages
 Switzerland  Canada
Michèle Moser 74% Christine Keshen 84%
Valeria Spälty 70% Glenys Bakker 61%
Binia Beeli 70% Amy Nixon 65%
Mirjam Ott 88% Shannon Kleibrink 66%
Total 75% Total 69%

Bronze medal game - Thursday, February 23, 1300[edit]

Canada scored four in the first end after Dordi Nordby, the Norwegian skip flopped her rock over on a heavy freeze attempt and was removed by Shannon Kleibrink, the Canadian skip on her last rock. With three other Canadian rocks in the house, Canada scored four. Canada never looked back, scoring four more points in the fifth end en route to an 11-5 thrashing of Norway.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Norway (Nordby) 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 X X 5
 Canada (Kleibrink) (has hammer) 4 1 0 0 4 0 2 0 X X 11
Player percentages
 Canada  Norway
Christine Keshen 83% Camilla Holth 92%
Glenys Bakker 73% Marianne Rørvik 70%
Amy Nixon 80% Marianne Haslum 72%
Shannon Kleibrink 66% Dordi Nordby 56%
Total 75% Total 73%

Gold medal game - Thursday, February 23, 1730[edit]

Sweden held the lead for much of the game, but saw the Swiss team start to claw back late in the game. In the 8th end, a decision by Swedish skip Anette Norberg to hit an unthreatening rock out of the house on her last rock instead of a guard was followed by a great raise of a Swiss rock on to a small corner of the button by Swiss skip Mirjam Ott. This brought the Swiss within one point of a tie. They continued to claw back, and after ten ends the game was tied, so they had to go to another. In the 11th end, the Swiss played a good end, leaving Anette Norberg a difficult double take-out on her last rock to win the gold medal. Norberg was successful, leaving her stone in the house to win the game, and the gold medal, 7–6.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
 Sweden (Norberg) (has hammer) 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 7
 Switzerland (Ott) 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 6
Player percentages
 Sweden  Switzerland
Anna Svärd 61% Michèle Moser 83%
Cathrine Lindahl 82% Valeria Spälty 66%
Eva Lund 69% Binia Beeli 80%
Anette Norberg 83% Mirjam Ott 85%
Total 74% Total 78%

Round robin final player percentages[edit]

Minimum 6 games. Five best players from each position

Lead Nation %
Christine Keshen  Canada 81
Lynn Cameron  Great Britain 79
Malene Krause  Denmark 79
Ekaterina Galkina  Russia 78
Anna Svärd  Sweden 78
Second Nation %
Nkeirouka Ezekh  Russia 79
Valeria Spälty  Switzerland 79
Cathrine Lindahl  Sweden 78
Mari Motohashi  Japan 73
Lene Nielsen  Denmark 72
Marianne Rørvik  Norway 72
Kelly Wood  Great Britain 72
Third Nation %
Eva Lund  Sweden 80
Marianne Haslum  Norway 78
Binia Beeli  Switzerland 77
Yumie Hayashi  Japan 77
Olga Jarkova  Russia 75
Skip Nation %
Anette Norberg  Sweden 79
Shannon Kleibrink  Canada 76
Rhona Martin  Great Britain 75
Mirjam Ott  Switzerland 75
Dordi Nordby  Norway 72

Final standings[edit]

Rank Country Skip W L
1st place, gold medalist(s) Sweden Sweden Anette Norberg 9 2
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Switzerland Switzerland Mirjam Ott 8 3
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Canada Canada Shannon Kleibrink 7 4
4 Norway Norway Dordi Nordby 6 5
5 United Kingdom Great Britain Rhona Martin 5 4
5 Russia Russia Ludmila Privivkova 5 4
7 Japan Japan Ayumi Onodera 4 5
8 United States United States Cassandra Johnson 2 7
9 Denmark Denmark Dorthe Holm 2 7
10 Italy Italy Diana Gaspari 1 8

Men's[edit]

Men's tournament[edit]

Medal Team
Gold Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Russ Howard, Jamie Korab, and Mike Adam
 Canada
Silver Markku Uusipaavalniemi, Wille Mäkelä, Kalle Kiiskinen, Teemu Salo, and Jani Sullanmaa
 Finland
Bronze Pete Fenson, Shawn Rojeski, Joseph Polo, John Shuster, and Scott Baird
 United States

Teams[edit]

Nation Skip Third Second Lead Alternate Club
 Canada Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Russ Howard* Jamie Korab Mike Adam St. John's CC, St. John's
 Finland Markku Uusipaavalniemi Wille Mäkelä Kalle Kiiskinen Teemu Salo Jani Sullanmaa Oulunkylä Curling, Helsinki
 Germany Andy Kapp Uli Kapp Oliver Axnick Holger Höhne Andreas Kempf CC Füssen, Füssen
 Great Britain David Murdoch Ewan MacDonald Warwick Smith Euan Byers Craig Wilson Lockerbie CC, Lockerbie
 Italy Joel Retornaz Fabio Alvera Gian Paolo Zandegiacomo Marco Mariani Antonio Menardi CC Dolomiti, Cortina d'Ampezzo
 New Zealand Sean Becker Hans Frauenlob Dan Mustapic Lorne De Pape Warren Dobson Ranfurly CC, Ranfurly
 Norway Pål Trulsen Lars Vågberg Flemming Davanger Bent Ånund Ramsfjell Torger Nergård Stabekk CC, Oslo
 Sweden Peja Lindholm Tomas Nordin Magnus Swartling Peter Narup Anders Kraupp Östersunds CK, Östersund
 Switzerland Ralph Stöckli Claudio Pescia Pascal Sieber Marco Battilana Simon Strübin St Galler Bär CC, Zürich
 United States Pete Fenson Shawn Rojeski Joseph Polo John Shuster Scott Baird Bemidji CC, Bemidji
* – Calls the game as a skip normally would
× – The Olympics have recorded the skip as Russ Howard, however the team internally considers that Brad Gushue is skip. It is a team formed by Brad Gushue.[1]

Standings[edit]

Locale Skip W L PF PA Ends
won
Ends
lost
Blank
ends
Stolen
ends
Shot
pct.
 Finland Markku Uusipaavalniemi 7 2 53 40 32 31 23 9 78%
 Canada Brad Gushue 6 3 66 46 47 31 9 23 80%
 United States Pete Fenson 6 3 66 47 36 33 16 13 80%
 Great Britain David Murdoch 6 3 59 49 36 31 17 12 81%
 Norway Pål Trulsen 5 4 57 47 33 32 17 9 78%
 Switzerland Ralph Stöckli 5 4 56 45 31 34 18 10 76%
 Italy Joël Retornaz 4 5 47 66 37 38 10 7 70%
 Germany Andy Kapp 3 6 53 55 34 34 17 12 77%
 Sweden Peja Lindholm 3 6 45 68 31 40 12 4 78%
 New Zealand Sean Becker 0 9 37 76 28 41 12 6 69%

Schedule[edit]

Draw 1 - Monday, February 13, 0900[edit]

Note: in the following, the hammers denote the team that has the last stone in the first end.


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 New Zealand (Becker) 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 3
 Sweden (Lindholm) (has hammer) 0 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Italy (Retornaz) (has hammer) 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 5
 Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Norway (Trulsen) 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 X X 5
 United States (Fenson) (has hammer) 0 2 1 0 3 0 0 5 X X 11
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X 2
 Switzerland (Stöckli) (has hammer) 2 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 X 7

Draw 2 - Monday, February 13, 1900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Germany (Kapp) 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 X 5
 Canada (Gushue) (has hammer) 0 2 0 3 1 1 1 0 2 X 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 4
 United States (Fenson) (has hammer) 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Great Britain (Murdoch) (has hammer) 0 1 4 0 0 0 3 0 2 X 10
 New Zealand (Becker) 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 X 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Italy (Retornaz) 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 5
 Sweden (Lindholm) (has hammer) 0 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 7

Draw 3 - Tuesday, February 14, 1400[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Norway (Trulsen) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 3 X 7
 Switzerland (Stöckli) (has hammer) 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 X 2
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
 Canada (Gushue) (has hammer) 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 0 7
 Sweden (Lindholm) 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
 Germany (Kapp) 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 8
 Italy (Retornaz) (has hammer) 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 1 1 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 United States (Fenson) 0 2 2 0 2 1 0 3 X X 10
 New Zealand (Becker) (has hammer) 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 X X 4

Draw 4 - Wednesday, February 15, 0900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) (has hammer) 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 6
 New Zealand (Becker) 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Sweden (Lindholm) 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 X X 4
 Norway (Trulsen) (has hammer) 0 4 0 0 2 0 2 1 X X 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Canada (Gushue) 1 1 0 3 0 1 1 0 2 X 9
 Great Britain (Murdoch) (has hammer) 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 X 5

Draw 5 - Wednesday, February 15, 1900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 United States (Fenson) 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 1 5
 Italy (Retornaz) (has hammer) 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 1 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 1 6
 Norway (Trulsen) (has hammer) 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 3
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Canada (Gushue) (has hammer) 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 7
 Switzerland (Stöckli) 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Germany (Kapp) (has hammer) 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 5
 Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2

Draw 6 - Thursday, February 16, 1400[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 2 0 7
 Germany (Kapp) (has hammer) 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Switzerland (Stöckli) (has hammer) 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 3 0 1 9
 New Zealand (Becker) 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 United States (Fenson) 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 2 2 10
 Sweden (Lindholm) (has hammer) 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Norway (Trulsen) 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 5
 Canada (Gushue) (has hammer) 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 6

Draw 7 - Friday, February 17, 0900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Italy (Retornaz) 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 X X X 3
 Norway (Trulsen) (has hammer) 0 2 0 4 0 1 4 X X X 11
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Sweden (Lindholm) 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 X X 4
 Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) 3 0 2 0 0 1 3 2 X X 11
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Switzerland (Stöckli) 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 8
 Germany (Kapp) (has hammer) 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 5

Draw 8 - Friday, February 17, 1900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Sweden (Lindholm) 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 X X X 2
 Great Britain (Murdoch) (has hammer) 2 2 0 3 0 0 1 X X X 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 United States (Fenson) (has hammer) 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 1 7
 Switzerland (Stöckli) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) (has hammer) 0 0 3 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 8
 Canada (Gushue) 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
 New Zealand (Becker) 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 5
 Italy (Retornaz) (has hammer) 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 6

Draw 9 - Saturday, February 18, 1400[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Germany (Kapp) 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 X 5
 United States (Fenson) (has hammer) 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
 Canada (Gushue) 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 6
 Italy (Retornaz) (has hammer) 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Switzerland (Stöckli) (has hammer) 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 5
 Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) (has hammer) 1 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 0 1 7
 Norway (Trulsen) 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 3

Draw 10 - Sunday, February 19, 0900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Norway (Trulsen) 0 2 0 0 3 0 1 0 2 1 9
 New Zealand (Becker) (has hammer) 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Germany (Kapp) 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 0 0 1 7
 Sweden (Lindholm) (has hammer) 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Italy (Retornaz) (has hammer) 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 4
 Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 1 2 1 8
 United States (Fenson) (has hammer) 2 0 4 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 9

Draw 11 - Sunday, February 19, 1900[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Great Britain (Murdoch) (has hammer) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 X 2
 Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) 0 0 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 X 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 New Zealand (Becker) (has hammer) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 X X X 1
 Canada (Gushue) 1 1 0 1 0 3 3 X X X 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Sweden (Lindholm) (has hammer) 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 X 3
 Switzerland (Stöckli) 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 3 1 X 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Norway (Trulsen) (has hammer) 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 5
 Germany (Kapp) 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2

Draw 12 - Monday, February 20, 1400[edit]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Switzerland (Stöckli) (has hammer) 4 0 1 0 3 2 X X X X 10
 Italy (Retornaz) 0 1 0 1 0 0 X X X X 2
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 New Zealand (Becker) 0 1 0 0 0 0 X X X X 1
 Germany (Kapp) (has hammer) 2 0 3 2 2 1 X X X X 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Canada (Gushue) (has hammer) 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 1 6
 United States (Fenson) 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3

Semi-finals - Wednesday, February 22, 1900[edit]

1 vs. 4

In a close game, where both teams played extremely well, the game came down to the last rock of the tenth end. Finland (1) had the hammer, and skip Markku Uusipaavalniemi had to put a rock right on the button to win the game. It was either that or a difficult hit and roll off a British (4) rock in the four-foot frozen to a Finnish rock. British skip David Murdoch had an excellent raise hit and roll to make the freeze on his last rock, but it was no match for Markku's draw—giving Finland the win.


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) (has hammer) 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 4
 Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 3
Player percentages
 Finland  Great Britain
Teemu Salo 84% Euan Byers 89%
Kalle Kiiskinen 94% Warwick Smith 89%
Wille Mäkelä 78% Ewan MacDonald 89%
Markku Uusipaavalniemi 88% David Murdoch 80%
Total 86% Total 87%

2 vs. 3

Semi-final USA vs. Canada

In the other semi-final, Canada (2) outplayed the Americans (3) for most of the game propelling them to victory. The Americans kept it close for most of the game, always within a few points until the ninth end. With Canada having the hammer, USA skip Pete Fenson had a difficult draw to beat out four Canadian stones and get buried but half of the rock was left out in the open. Canada's skip Brad Gushue peeled off Fenson's rock on his last, giving Gushue five points, at which point the American team conceded.


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Canada (Gushue) (has hammer) 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 5 X 11
 United States (Fenson) 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 X 5
Player percentages
 Canada  United States
Jamie Korab 71% John Shuster 79%
Russ Howard 82% Joseph Polo 79%
Mark Nichols 94% Shawn Rojeski 63%
Brad Gushue 83% Pete Fenson 79%
Total 82% Total 75%

Bronze medal game - Friday, February 24, 1300[edit]

US skip Pete Fenson got the victory after hitting a British stone in the open on his last shot of the game, giving him the only point he needed in the 8–6 victory. The momentum for the Americans began in the third end however, when the Americans scored a three-ender. David Murdoch, the British skip tried to draw to the button on top of two American stones, but was a few inches short, leaving the rock in the open. It was easily tapped out by Fenson giving the Americans three points, and they never trailed after that point, going on to win the country's first Olympic curling medal. The game was interrupted by a streaker wearing a rubber chicken, prompting one of the British players to joke, "Are you Scottish?"[2]


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 United States (Fenson) (has hammer) 1 0 3 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 8
 Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 6
Player percentages
 Great Britain  United States
Euan Byers 94% John Shuster 75%
Warwick Smith 85% Joseph Polo 95%
Ewan MacDonald 88% Shawn Rojeski 94%
David Murdoch 79% Pete Fenson 83%
Total 86% Total 87%

Gold medal game - Friday, February 24, 1730[edit]

After Finland skip Markku Uusipaavalniemi missed an opportunity with the hammer in the 1st end, scoring only two points instead of three (0-2), Canada dominated and scored two points with the hammer in the 2nd end (2-2) before stealing the next two ends with a point in each (4-2). Finland finally won a point with the hammer in the 5th end to reduce the deficit (4-3), but numerous Finnish mistakes led to Canada's scoring six points in the 6th end (10-3), which effectively won the match and secured the gold medal. Brad Gushue of Canada actually had the chance to score an unusual seventh point with the hammer, but his draw shot had too much weight and together with some furious sweeping at the house by the Finland skip, it passed through the house. As it is, six is very unusual as well, and Gushue blamed the miss on nerves.

However, Gushue's miss was of little consequence due to Canada's lead. By this time, Finland wanted to concede, but had to carry on until the 8th end before being allowed to do so. They finished 10–4 with no points in the 7th end and one point in the 8th end. It was Canada's first gold medal in men's curling after winning silver at Nagano in 1998 and Salt Lake City in 2002. School children in Newfoundland and Labrador, where four of the five Canadians are from, had the afternoon off from school to watch the game. Those four Newfoundlanders were the first to ever win a gold medal at the Olympics. Mark Nichols, Canada's third, played phenomenally with a 97% shooting percentage. His raise-triple take-out in the sixth end was a major factor in Canada's scoring the six-point rarity.


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
 Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) (has hammer) 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 X X 4
 Canada (Gushue) 0 2 1 1 0 6 0 0 X X 10
Player percentages
 Canada  Finland
Jamie Korab 88% Teemu Salo 86%
Russ Howard 75% Kalle Kiiskinen 80%
Mark Nichols 97% Wille Mäkelä 53%
Brad Gushue 72% Markku Uusipaavalniemi 57%
Total 83% Total 69%

Round robin final player percentages[edit]

Minimum 6 games. Five best players from each position

Lead Nation %
Euan Byers  Great Britain 84
Holger Höhne  Germany 83
Jamie Korab  Canada 83
Bent Ånund Ramsfjell  Norway 83
Peter Narup  Sweden 82
Second Nation %
Warwick Smith  Great Britain 85
Magnus Swartling  Sweden 81
Joe Polo  United States 80
Russ Howard  Canada 79
Oliver Axnick  Germany 76
Flemming Davanger  Norway 76
Third Nation %
Shawn Rojeski  United States 83
Uli Kapp  Germany 80
Ewan MacDonald  Great Britain 78
Wille Mäkelä  Finland 78
Mark Nichols  Canada 77
Skip Nation %
Markku Uusipaavalniemi  Finland 81
Brad Gushue  Canada 77
Ralph Stöckli  Switzerland 77
Pål Trulsen  Norway 77
David Murdoch  Great Britain 76

Final standings[edit]

Rank Country Skip W L
1st place, gold medalist(s) Canada Canada Brad Gushue 8 3
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Finland Finland Markku Uusipaavalniemi 8 3
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) United States United States Pete Fenson 7 4
4 United Kingdom Great Britain David Murdoch 6 5
5 Norway Norway Pål Trulsen 5 4
5 Switzerland Switzerland Ralph Stöckli 5 4
7 Italy Italy Joël Retornaz 4 5
8 Germany Germany Andy Kapp 3 6
9 Sweden Sweden Peja Lindholm 3 6
10 New Zealand New Zealand Sean Becker 0 9

Olympic qualifying[edit]

Canada[edit]

The Canadian Olympic trials took place December 3–11, 2005 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Women[edit]

Team W L
Kelly Scott 7 2
Shannon Kleibrink 6 3
Stefanie Lawton 6 3
Sherry Middaugh 6 3
Sherry Anderson 5 4
Jennifer Jones 5 4
Jan Betker 4 5
Colleen Jones 3 6
Jo-Ann Rizzo 2 7
Marie-France Larouche 1 8

Tie-Breaker

  • Lawton 9-4 Middaugh

Playoffs

  • Semi-Final: Kleibrink 5-4 Lawton
  • Final: Kleibrink 8-7 Scott

Men[edit]

Team W L
Brad Gushue 8 1
Jeff Stoughton 7 2
John Morris 6 3
Glenn Howard 5 4
Pat Ryan 5 4
Kevin Martin 4 5
Randy Ferbey 4 5
Shawn Adams 3 6
Mark Dacey 3 6
Jay Peachey 0 9

Playoffs

  • Semi-Final: Stoughton 8-6 Morris
  • Final: Gushue 8-7 Stoughton

Germany[edit]

The German Olympic trials were held on three weekends as part of a triple round-robin with no playoffs. The first weekend was played in Schwenningen on February 20–22 The second in Hamburg on March 3–6 and the third weekend was played in Baden-Hills on March 11–13. Only the men's teams qualified for the Olympics.

Final standings

Team W L
Andy Kapp 8 2
Andy Lang 6 5
Christopher Bartsch 5 5
Sebastian Stock 4 6
Christian Baumann 3 8

Switzerland[edit]

The Swiss Olympic trials were held March 3–6, 2005 in Bern.

Women[edit]

Team W L
Mirjam Ott 3 0
Luzia Ebnöther 2 1
Silvana Tirinzoni 1 2
Nicole Strausak 0 3

Playoffs

  • 1 vs. 2: (best of 3) Ott 9-3 Ebnöther; Ebnöther 4-5 Ott
  • 3 vs. 4: (best of 3) Trinzoni 5-11 Strausak; Strausak 2-8 Trinzoni; Trinzoni 8-9 Strausak
  • Semi-final: (best of 3) Ebnöther 3-7 Strausak; Strausak 4-8 Ebnöther; Ebnöther 10-5 Strausak
  • Final: (best of 3) Ott 7-4 Ebnöther; Ebnöther 9-3 Ott; Ott 8-7 Ebnöther (EE)

Men[edit]

Team W L
Ralph Stöckli 4 0
Andreas Schwaller 1 3
Bernhard Wethermann 1 3

Playoffs

  • Final: (best of 5) Stöckli 6-8 Schwaller; Schwaller 5-3 Stöckli; Stöckli 7-5 Schwaller; Schwaller 3-8 Stöckli; Stöckli 6-4 Schwaller

United States[edit]

The U.S. Olympic trials were held February 19–26, 2005 in McFarland, Wisconsin. They double as the qualifying tournament to the 2005 Ford World Men's Curling Championship and the 2005 Ford World Women's Curling Championship.
Results:

Women[edit]

Team W L
Cassandra Johnson 9 0
Debbie McCormick 8 1
Patti Lank 7 2
Aileen Sormunen 5 4
Amy Wright 5 4
Norma O'Leary 4 5
Caitlin Maroldo 3 6
Lori Karst 2 7
Nancy Richard 1 8
Katie Schmitt 1 8

Tie-breaker

  • Sormunen 13-10 Wright

Playoffs

  • 3 vs. 4: Lank (3) 9-4 Sormunen (4)
  • 1 vs. 2: McCormick (2) 8-6 Johnson (1)
  • Semi-final: Johnson 8-7 Lank
  • Final: Johnson 5-4 McCormick

Men[edit]

Team W L
Pete Fenson 7 2
Craig Brown 6 3
Scott Baird 6 3
Brady Clark 6 3
Rich Ruohonen 5 4
Craig Disher 5 4
Greg Eigner 3 6
Jason Larway 3 6
Ben Tucker 3 6
Wes Johnson 1 8

Tie-breaker

  • Brown 9-2 Clark
  • Brown 11-8 Baird

Playoffs

  • 3 vs. 4: Clark (4) 5-4 Baird (3)
  • 1 vs. 2: Fenson (1) 9-3 Brown (2)
  • Semi-final: Brown 7-6 Clark
  • Final: Fenson 7-3 Brown

Japan[edit]

The Japanese Olympic trials were held November 23, 2005 in