John Shuster

Best Active Rivalries

In the midst of the Season of Champions, we take a break from the on-ice results to discuss some of the best matchups that we're looking forward to seeing over the next few months. From cross Canada competition to international matchups, we go across the globe to identify some of the best active rivalries around the curling world.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

The Era of Dynasties: Swiss Women Win & Swedish Men Take Their Turn

We're back to talk about all the action at the Women's World Curling Championship. We talk about the dominance of Team Tirinzoni, a surprise silver for Norway, and the week that was for Team Canada. We also go through the rest of the field and talk about the narratives that emerged about the ice before talking about the Canadian Mixed Doubles and Juniors. We then turn our attention to the Men's Worlds, which kick off on Saturday. We go through all 13 teams in the field, discuss how they can navigate the week, and make our picks for who will emerge as the 2023 World Champion.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

2023 Bold Predictions

The guys are back with one of their favourite annual traditions - bold predictions for the year to come! They start by recapping which of last year's predictions came true and then give 13 bold predictions for 2023. They go from championships to breakups to off the ice stories to outline what could be some of the biggest stories of the year.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Smaller Curling Venues, Interesting Masters Outcomes, & We're Playing Weird Games Lately

Curling Canada announced this week that the 2024 Brier will be held in Regina, prompting the question of whether the days of Briers in NHL arenas are behind us? And does that impact the fan experience? We then talk about this week's Grand Slam and what winners would make for the most interesting storylines going into 2023. The show wraps up by talking about some of our recent games, including a big strategy decision and what makes for major momentum swings in rec level games.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

What's Next for Grand National Curling Club

This week Sean flies solo to try to get to the bottom of the situation in the United States between USA Curling and the Grand National Curling Club. He's joined by Kristen Conrad of GNCC to talk about the background to what led to USA Curling's vote to remove GNCC clubs. They talk about how GNCC supports its members, the financial challenges faced by clubs over the past 2 years, and how this decision will be felt by players. Kristen also explains the next steps in the process and whether there could be a change of heart between now and the final vote in the fall.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

That's a Wrap! Full Olympic Curling Recap

The Beijing 2022 Olympics are done, but Sean and Scott are just getting started as they look back at all the curling stories from the past 3 weeks. They start by talking about the women’s field (5:45), including Eve Muirhead’s dominant performance in the gold medal game, a great week for Satsuke Fujisawa, another medal for Anna Hasselborg, and what went wrong for Team Canada. They then break down the men’s field (33:30) from Niklas Edin capping his career, a Bruce Mouat’s silver, a great week for the Americans, and the end of Team Gushue’s remarkable run. They wrap up by reflecting on the mixed doubles event (57:25) and how Team Italy dominated the field, the strange circumstances of Team Australia, and what the expectations should be for Canada moving forward, including the role fans have in supporting the athletes.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Biggest Stories of the 2022 Olympics...So Far

In this episode, Sean and Scott look at all the curling goings on at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. They start by giving their overall impressions (1:34) before moving on to some of the biggest stories of the week. They explore why Silvana Tirinzoni and Niklas Edin sit at the top of the table (3:45), whether Jennifer Jones & Brad Gushue's struggles at last stone draw are overstated (8:00), the problems with the broadcast (13:00), and the ice conditions at the Ice Cube (22:15).

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Who Ya Got? Each Team's Strengths Heading into the Olympics

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about the 4-person team competition at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. They start by discussing their level of excitement heading into the week and the challenges of how long the event will be. They then go through the field team by team, starting with going through the strengths and potential weaknesses for all 10 women's teams before making their podium picks(3:30). They wrap up by playing some word association for the 10 men's teams as they debate who stands out as the favourite and make their picks (32:16).

For more, visit us GameofStonesPod.com

10 Burning Questions Heading into the Olympics

In this episode, Sean and Scott look ahead to 2022 Winter Olympic Games by addressing some of the biggest questions heading into the competition.

Will everyone be able to play? (5:20)

How will the ice conditions be? (9:36)

What is the magic number for losses to still make the playoffs? (13:16)

Will one player win two medals? (14:57)

How will the Chinese curling team perform? (18:33)

What style of play should we expect? (23:07)

Is this the best American curling contingent ever? (28:10)

Will there be an upset? (32:33)

Does Canada have to win a medal? (35:20)

Will one country sweep the gold medals? (42:02)

Are there any players you want to see win? (44:15)

Let us know what you think of these burning questions on social media @GameofStonesPod

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Men's Postseason Power Rankings

In this episode, Sean and Scott look at where the men's teams rank after the 2021 season. Scott breaks down the numbers to offer up his rankings while Sean provides his reaction. Let us know how you think the teams stack up.

Be sure to visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Men's Worlds Recap

In this episode, Sean and Scott look back on the men's world curling championship. They talk about Niklas Edin's 5th world championship, their final with Bruce Mouat and Team Scotland, and the outstanding 5th end of the gold medal game. They also talk about the Covid scare over the weekend, the teams that didn't qualify for the Olympics, and Team Canada's week.

As mentioned in the episode, if you want to learn more about the production side of curling broadcasts, check out over conversation with Andrew Stoakley here.

Be sure to check out our past episodes, plus our merch, over at GameofStonesPod.com

Previewing the Men's World Championship (a.k.a Olympic Qualifer)

In this episode, Sean and Scott preview the 2021 Men's World Curling Championship. They talk about all 14 teams heading to Calgary, the format, and the importance of this event to the 2022 Olympics. They also talk about the TV coverage, who they expect to punch their tickets to Beijing 2022, and what they're looking forward to this week.

Visit us at GameofStonesPod.com for all our episodes, plus a link to our Merch, with all proceeds going to the Sandra Schmirler Foundation and Food Banks Canada.

Is Anything Possible? Reviewing An American Curling Story

In this episode, Sean and Scott discuss the Curlingzone doc Anything is Possible: An American Curling Story. They talk about what they like, debate the intended audience, and go scene-by-scene as they break down the doc. We also get a special guest cameo from Matt Hamilton.

Simulating the Men's World Championship

In this episode, Sean and Scott run a complete simulation of the 2020 Men's World Championship. Using the team's statistics, Scott ran a series of calculations to create a formula to simulate each game. Scott describes the math behind and they talk about the results of the round robin and simulate the playoffs live on the show.

Men's Worlds Preview

In this episode, Sean and Scott break down the field for this year's Men's World Curling Championship. They talk about all 13 teams in the field and who they expect to be standing at the end of the week.

Continental Cup Instant Reaction (From Vegas)

In this episode, Sean checks in from the Orleans Arena where the North American squad almost pulled off an epic comeback in the Continental Cup of Curling. They talk about all the action from this weekend as well as some of the other news from the world of curling.

Canada Cup & World Cup Day 5: Timing Rule Controversy, Attendance Issues, & 5 Winners

In this episode, Sean and Scott break down the finals at both the Canada Cup and World Cup. They do a deep dive into the timing controversy in the men's final in Estevan before breaking down each final.

Canada Cup & World Cup Day 4: The Finals Are Set

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about a busy Saturday in Omaha and Estevan. They talk about a big day for Kevin Koe, Rachel Homan's struggles, and a somewhat anti-climatic end to the World Cup round robin. They also get you set for all five finals coming up on Sunday.

Canada Cup & World Cup Day 3: Playoffs Take Shape as Hasselborg is Eliminated

In this episode, Sean and Scott break down Friday's action from the Canada Cup and World Cup. They talk about the men's tie-breaker and women's playoff scenarios in Estevan as well as John Morris and Kalynn Park's elimination and two big wins for Tracy Fleury. They also talk about the very different results for the Olympic Champions, with John Shuster in control and Anna Hasselborg being eliminated.