Penton: Homan wins Hearts; Jennifer Jones wins fans’ hearts
By Bruce Penton
Rachel Homan was the deserved winner of the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, but Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg deservedly won the hearts of Canadian curling fans.
Homan won her fourth Canadian women’s curling title by going undefeated through 11 games, edging Jones in the championship game by a 5-4 score. Jones, vying for her record seventh national championship, announced prior to the start of the weeklong event that this would be her final Scotties. Her future curling would be limited to two-person mixed doubles with her husband, Brent Laing.
Jones is near or at the top of the list of Canada’s best female curlers. Sandra Schmirler is revered; Colleen Jones won six Scotties; Kerri Einarson of Gimli won four in a row and Homan is en route to perhaps eclipsing them all. But Jennifer Jones’s resume on the curling ice is spectacular: Six Scotties’ wins; two world championships; two Olympic appearances, one Olympic gold. And if it’s agreed that Jones is the greatest Canadian women’s curler of all time, and Canada has won more world championships than any other country (Canada 17, Switzerland 10, Sweden 8 are the top three), then a solid case could be made for suggesting Jones is the world’s greatest female curler — ever.
While the sentimental choice for winning this year’s Scotties was probably Jones’s Winnipeg-based rink (athough Jones, now living in Ontario, was the team’s import), the best hope for Canada winning at the world level lies with Homan and her rink of Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew and Sarah Wilkes. They didn’t lose a game all week, going 8-0 in round-robin play, and then beating Einarson and Jones twice to take the title. It was the first Scotties’ title for Fleury, a top Canadian skip from Sudbury who joined the Homan rink two years ago, skipped it for one year and then moved back to third.s.
Homan is almost certain to contend at the 2024 world championships in Sydney, N.S., while Jones moves on to become a full-time mother to two girls and a mixed doubles threat — with another Olympic appearance in mind — with her husband.
Jones’ final appearance at the women’s curling championship was one of two major story lines at this year’s Scotties. The other was the 11th-hour announcement that Briane Harris, the lead for Einarson’s rink, gunning for its fourth straight Canadian title, had been ruled ‘ineligible’, with Kremlin-like silence about the reasons.
There was no such silence from Jones’s rivals after the final game. “Jen, unbelievable, an absolute hero to the game and an unbelievable competitor,” Homan said in a TSN interview. “I remember watching her a million times, cheering hard for Canada … watching her win gold, forever in history as one of the greats. Unbelievable week for her team.”
When the world’s best gather in Sydney March 16-24, Homan’s rink will be among the favourites. And Jennifer Jones will likely be watching on TV, cheering on Canada’s best and relishing the memories of her own great career.
Torben Rolfsen of Vancouver: “What are the ratings for the Borje Salming mini-series in the U.S. I’m guessing a 0.1 in Minnesota and a 0.0 everywhere else.”
Bob Molinaro of pilotonline.com (Hampton, Va.): “For the Steelers, the good news is that Mike Tomlin likes Bears quarterback Justin Fields; the bad news is that Tomlin likes Justin Fields.”
Super 70s Sports: “When Boog Powell joined the Dodgers, he'd eat nachos all game and then pinch-hit in the helmet they came in.”
An oldie but a goodie from RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “Good news for Norwegian golfers: the European Challenge Tour is returning to Norway after a three-year absence. Have you driven a fjord lately?”
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: “The Blue Jays have added 270-pound possible DH Daniel Vogelbach to a team that already has Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk and Alek Manoah. If the Jays need an offensive line, they’ve got one. Not sure about the ball team, though.”
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “I just saw where LIV defector Jon Rahm says Tiger Woods is ignoring him. Hey, maybe he should dress up as a Perkins waitress.”
Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: “Former NFL star, Cam Newton, had to be removed by security after being in a huge brawl at a youth football game. Apparently he and another parent were arguing over which team had the best sportsmanship.”
Another one from RJ Currie: “In honour of Canada's men's curling championship, the top five Montana's Brier curling rock acts: 5. Kiss; 4. Crowded House; 3. Ice-T; 2. Guardin' Lightfoot; 1. The Rolling Stones.
RJ Currie again: “The crowd was so loud at the recent Canadian women’s curling championship, Ontario second Emma Miskew threw a draw when Rachel Homan asked for a takeout. Call it Miskew-munication.”
Fark.com: “FedEx ends its 25-year deal with Washington’s NFL franchise for naming rights to their home field. Which makes sense since it’s been a couple of decades since the Commanders delivered anything.”
fark.com again: “(New coach) Jerod Mayo creating Patriots way instead of ‘only works with Tom Brady way.’”
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