Scotties Tournament of Hearts: Why Canada’s women’s curling championship is called the Scotties
The term “Scotties” has become synonymous with curling in Canada for years.
The annual women’s curling championship begins today in Kamloops as Canada’s top 18 teams compete for the right to be crowned Scotties champions.
Although the tournament has existed since 1961, it was not always referred to as the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. In fact, the competition has gone through a number of name changes over the years.
MORE: Scotties Tournament of Hearts 2023 results, schedule
Here are more details on why it’s called the Scotties.
Why the Canadian Women’s Curling Championship is called the Scotties
The Canadian Women’s Curling Championship has gone through five different name variations in its more than 60-year history.
The competition was initially called the Diamond D Championship and was sponsored by the Dominion Stores. In 1867, the company was able to reach a compromise with the organizers of the event, and they stopped sponsoring it.
Without a sponsor, the tournament was named Canadian Ladies Curling Association Champions for four years before contracting with the Macdonald Tobacco Company. It was called the Macdonald Lassies Championship from 1972 to 1978 when the Canadian government began pressuring its anti-tobacco policy.
It briefly went back to the Canadian Ladies Curling Association Championship for two years before Robin Wilson, who won the tournament in 1979, pushed for the Scott Paper Company to sponsor the event. It was successful and the first Scott Tournament of Hearts was held in 1982.
After a merger with Kimberly-Clark, the Canadian part of the Scott Paper Company was sold to Kruger Inc. The company could not further license the Scott brand, but Kruger did obtain a long-term license to Scotties, a facial tissue brand.
As a result, in 2007 the tournament was renamed after the tissue brand now known as the Scotties.
When is the Scotties 2023?
This tournament starts on Friday February 17th and runs until Sunday February 26th.
Billiards will be played from the 17th to the 23rd. The playoffs and page playoffs take place on the 24th and 25th before the semifinals and finals round out the action on the 26th.
What channel will the Scotties be on in 2023?
The Women’s Curling Championship will be broadcast on TSN, with live streaming available on TSN.ca and the TSN App.
Longtime curling announcer Vic Rauter will be in the dressing room, sharing play-by-play duties with Bryan Mudryk. Cathy Gauthier, Joanne Courtney and Russ Howard join the team as analysts.
| Date | time (ET) | Match | channel |
| Friday February 17th | 21 clock | pool game | TSN1/3 |
| Saturday February 18th | 4 p.m | pool game | TSN1/4 |
| 21 clock | pool game | TSN1/4/5 | |
| Sunday February 19th | 11:30 a.m | pool game | TSN2 |
| 4:30 p.m | pool game | TSN2 | |
| 9:30 p.m | pool game | TSN1 | |
| Monday February 20th | 11:30 a.m | pool game | TSN1 |
| 4:30 p.m | pool game | TSN1 | |
| 9:30 p.m | pool game | TSN1/3 | |
| Tuesday February 21st | 11:30 a.m | pool game | TSN1/3 |
| 4:30 p.m | pool game | TSN1/3 | |
| 9:30 p.m | pool game | TSN1/3/5 | |
| Wednesday February 22nd | 11:30 a.m | pool game | TSN1 |
| 4:30 p.m | pool game | TSN1 | |
| 9:30 p.m | pool game | TSN1/3 | |
| Thursday 23 February | 11:30 a.m | pool game | TSN1 |
| 4:30 p.m | pool game | TSN1/3 | |
| 9:30 p.m | pool game | TSN1/3 | |
| Friday February 24th | 11:30 a.m | Tiebreaker | TSN1 |
| 4:30 p.m | final 1 | TSN1 | |
| 9:30 p.m | endgame 2 | TSN1 | |
| Saturday February 25th | 4:30 p.m | side playoff | TSN1/3/4 |
| 21 clock | side playoff | TSN1 | |
| Sunday February 26th | 3 pm | semifinals | TSN1 |
| 21 clock | final | TSN1/3/4/5 |
Where will the 2023 Scotties be held?
The 42nd edition of the tournament will be held at the Sandman Center in Kamloops, BC
This is the first time Kamloops has hosted the Scotties, and the first time the tournament will be held in British Columbia since 2018, when it was held in Penticton.
What is the Scotties 2023 purse?
The 18 teams compete for a total prize money of 300,000 US dollars.
Here is the prize money breakdown for the event:
1: $100,000
2nd: $60,000
3rd: $40,000
Championship Pool (4th-8th): $15,000
Non-Championship Pool (9th-18th): $2,500
In addition to $100,000, the 2023 Scotties winner will represent Canada at the 2023 LGT World Women’s Curling Championship. This tournament will be held in mid-March and Sandviken, Sweden will host the event.
2023 Scotties odds
According to Sports Interaction, Einarson’s Team Canada, which is participating in the tournament, is the favorite to win the Scotties again. The team sits at +135 to win it all.
Here are the pre-tournament odds for all teams.
| team | opportunities |
|---|---|
| Canada | +135 |
| ontario | +210 |
| wildcard 1 | +550 |
| Manitoba | +750 |
| wildcard 2 | +1000 |
| Nova Scotia | +1800 |
| Northern Ontario | +2000 |
| New Brunswick | +2500 |
| British Columbia | +2800 |
| alberta | +4500 |
| wildcard 3 | +6600 |
| Northwest Territories | +8000 |
| Saskatchewan | +8000 |
| Prince Edward Island | +15000 |
| Quebec | +17500 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | +50000 |
| Yukon | +250000 |
| Nunavut | +250000 |