Broom Brothers

Season 2 of the Broom Brothers is HERE and we have a brand-new weekly format we are rolling out starting NOW! One week, your faithful Broom Bros John and Robbie will sit down and discuss all the important curling news of the day and give our opinions on all the happenings of the curling world, and the next, John will sit down with an interview with someone from the game, be that a player, rulemaker, or mover and shaker. It's a new year and a new look for the fellas and it all starts here with our first episode that already needed an emergency attachment as Brad Gushue announced his retirement from the competitive game after we had already recorded this entire episode. Whoops. But we cover that as well as all the happenings of the summer from broom controversies being put to bed to the Goldline acquisition of Hardline to the Olympic reps being named for many countries. We also take a look at the season ahead starting with the AMJ Masters coming up next week in London and give our usual bold predictions.

As promised on the John Morris draft episode, Brent Laing from the TCG Competition Committee joins the pod to tell us all about what the Competition Committee has been up to over the last few months. We discuss some potential rule and format changes on the horizon from finding ways to shorten the game to a tournament within a tournament to eliminating extra ends and blanks. In short, everything is being considered and everything is on the table. We also discuss where things might be going with Rock League formats, how curling can try to create stars, and why The Curling Group is trying to start a youth movement.

John is pleased to be joined by two curlers who will be playing in the upcoming GSOC Wheelchair Invitational and two Paralympic hopefuls, Jon Thurston and Chrissy Molnar. Coming from opposite ends of the spectrum with Jon being a 12-year veteran of the sport and Chrissy just getting into it within the last few years, the two discuss the upcoming Paralympics, the advancements that have been made in the wheelchair game in the last decade, and whether or not wheelchair curling should have sweepers (probably not) or specialized chairs (maybe). And of course, we dive into the GSOC Wheelchair Invitational itself, as Jon and Chrissy share their excitement for this historic inaugural event, how it will help their Paralympic prep, and what they're most looking forward to in London. Tickets for the GSOC Wheelchair Invitational and the AMJ Masters are available now at thegrandslamofcurling.com.

John Morris teams up with John Cullen for the first-ever World Cup–style “pot draft” ahead of the AMJ Masters this September in London. Just like in soccer, the top 16 seeds are split into four pots, and names are drawn to decide who battles who at the season’s opening Slam. Which group will become the dreaded Group of Death? How will the long-awaited return of China’s men’s and women’s teams play out after nearly a decade away from GSOC? The two Johns break it all down in this special episode.

John sits down with Rachel Homan, the two-time defending world champ and captain of one of Canada’s Rock League teams. There’s lots to discuss after a busy summer as Rachel talks about preparing for an Olympic year, how Tracy Fleury has been such a great fit for her as a skip, and whether or not she wants to keep going after this quad, Olympic result or not. And of course there’s room for a little summer silliness as Rachel recounts the story of an unfortunate text from John at the Players Championship, whether or not she’s used the Key to the City of Ottawa, and Rachel’s son Ryatt makes a guest appearance. 

John sits down with Korey Dropkin amidst his preparation for the US Pancontinental Playoff to discuss the US talent pool, the potential changing of the guard after this quad, how winning a spot at the Olympics in Mixed Doubles has allowed him to play more free, and the secret to the success he had this past season and how that might lead to success in the future. Oh, and we definitely discuss his blond hair.

John sits down with the “Europe 1” captain Bruce Mouat for a chat about a home Rock League tie for his team in Scotland, preparing for the Olympics, how much longer he’s intending to play, and how you improve on one of the best seasons of all-time. We also discuss whether or not the Scottish Nationals should be a play-in for the Worlds. 

John sits down for the second of his series of interviews with Rock League captains, this time with six-time World Champion Alina Pätz. Alina discusses what’s in the water in Swiss Curling, how famous she is in Switzerland, what the Olympic year means to her, women in sports, and how she is hoping to tackle the Rachel Homan of it all. 

It's the first in our summer series here on the Broom Brothers, as John plans to sit down with every Rock League captain over the course of the next six weeks, with an episode slated to release every Thursday. First up, it's one of the Canadian captains, Brad Jacobs! Brad shows up with the Brier Tankard in tow to give John an update on his mechanical bull injury and where his summer training is at, why he thinks he'd make a good Rock League captain, his plans for the future after this season, and why this version of himself is the best version of Brad Jacobs we've ever seen.

The Broom Brothers are BACK and both Bros are in the house for this one, as we are talking All-Star Game! We look back at our own fond memories of a great couple days in Nashville before welcoming the two ASG captains, John Morris and Matt Hamilton for a little chat. We break down all the happenings in Nashville, what fans can expect when they watch the final product next week, and yes, they give a few hints as to what went down on the ice that you won't hear anywhere else! The TCG All-Star Game airs in Canada on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ next Tuesday, July 1st, at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. It will be available internationally on the Grand Slam of Curling YouTube page immediately following the Canadian broadcast. And exciting news for our American fans: it will be airing on the FanDuel Sports Network and FanDuel Sports Network App on Thursday, July 3rd, at 1 pm ET/10 am PT. Tune in!

Surprise! The BBs are back with a very special episode celebrating Pride Month, as John is joined by Bruce Mouat, John Epping, Emma Miskew, and The Curling Group's new Head of Content Devin Heroux for a very candid and honest chat reflecting on Pride within our sport and community. We discuss what Pride means in curling, how the sport has gotten itself ahead of the pack when it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusion, and where the sport still needs to get to as it strives to be a leader within the community. John also announces on this episode that we will be back with recurring episodes all summer, featuring exclusive interviews with all six Rock League captains as we prepare for the busiest curling season in history coming up this fall. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss your curling fix all summer long!

It's a very special in-person episode of The Broom Brothers, as the boys sit down with The Curling Group CEO Nic Sulsky at The Tee Line in Nashville to discuss TCG's newest venture, Rock League. After Nic's appraisal of the year that was, his first at the helm, he answers all of the burning questions about what we know about Rock League so far: what it is, why the time is right for a curling league, who is going to be involved, and how it will affect the regular GSOC calendar moving forward. It's an exciting time to be a curling fan and Nic gives us the full scoop.

It's a special interview-only episode of the show with Briane Harris, giving her first podcast interview EVER after one of the most challenging curling seasons in recent memory. We said we wouldn't be back until after the All-Star Game, but this chat was too important to pass up. John sits down with Briane for an extremely open talk about the last year of her life, from finding out on the eve of the Scotties that she had tested positive for a banned substance all the way through her dismissal from Team Einarson and the new lease on curling she's been given as Kate Cameron's new third. She leaves no stone unturned and answers every question curling fans have been dying to ask, a true must-listen.

Rachel Homan once again stands alone atop the women's curling world as she takes home her second consecutive world title, defeating Silvana Tirinzoni in the final to take home the top prize and become Canada's first repeat champion in over 30 years. We break down the entire Women's Worlds for you, from the emergence of China to the disappointment for the USA and Japan, and debate Rachel Homan's place among the all-time greats. Plus, we break down the newly-announced Grand Slam of Curling calendar for the 2025-26 season (hint: there's some surprises!), and we give a very quick eye to the upcoming Men's Worlds. Following that, Sarah Wilkes from Team Homan joins us to talk through their World championship win, the switch to lead, how Rachel Homan continues to leave her in awe even though she's a teammate, why Tracy Fleury was the perfect fit for their team, and how her background in psychotherapy has helped her become a better athlete and person.

It's a jam-packed episode of Broom Brothers as we return to our regularly-scheduled programming with a big Brier recap looking at the week that was in Kelowna. Brad Jacobs hoists his second Brier trophy, Matt Dunstone comes up short in the final again, and we break down who impressed us and all the other storylines from what was an excellent Brier. Then, we are very pleased to be joined by two members of the victorious Team Jacobs, lead Ben Hebert and coach Paul Webster. Ben gives us the rundown on why this fifth win meant so much to him, how adding Brad Jacobs really unlocked something in this team, and the backstory behind his son Griff going tarps off at the final. Paul then follows up with a very insightful interview about what it was like to move from being a national coach with Curling Canada to coaching an individual squad and why this was the squad to do it with, how much this first Brier win was worth all the effort, and why Brad Jacobs started honking during the semifinal. 

Surprise! We said we wouldn't be back until after the Brier but we lied! It's a very special episode of the show to celebrate a very special day: International Women's Day! John sits down with four of the most prominent voices in the sport in Jennifer Jones, Rachel Homan, Anna Hasselborg, and Jocelyn Peterman to discuss what it's like to be a woman in curling in 2025. We're going to discuss how we got here and what we can do to help move the sport forward for women across the globe. And we get into it all, with no subject left behind. We chat about finances, sexism, motherhood, broadcasting, mixed doubles, and yes, those weird comments online. 

It's a big week here on the show as we try to cram a bunch of curling news in! Our own Robbie is the brand-new PEI Mixed Champion, so we get into that before diving deep into the Scotties, as we recap Rachel Homan's continued dominance and who surprised us in the tournament (both good and bad). From there, it's Brier szn baby! We tee up what should be a great tournament with 5-7 teams all in it with a shot to win it, as we discuss Brad Gushue not being the clear favourite, who might dethrone him, that insane Pool A, and which team will sneak through the tightly packed Pool B to maybe surprise and make some noise in the playoffs. Then, we are pleased to be joined by Christina Black, the newly-minted Scotties bronze medalist who overcame some very unique and trying circumstances to capture the hearts of curling fans with her and her team's performance. We ask her about what it was like to try to play a game knowing your teammate is dealing with an awful situation, what the bronze meant to them, what's led to their successful season, why they don't play more, and we learn why Christina won't eat pizza outside of Cape Breton.

Scotties szn is upon us and we break all of that down for you including our picks for the playoffs, our dark horses, and which teams we're nervous about heading into the week. John gives everyone an update on the "Foamgate" situation, the attempted Scotties Players' Agreement, and where we go from here. And then finally we break down the recently-concluded US Curling Championships before welcoming in the 2025 Men's Champion, Korey Dropkin! With Robbie away at the PEI Mixed Doubles provincials, John handles interview duties and gets into it all with Korey: how this felt like his first "real" title win, how jiggling the team lineup helped them find their best game, the emergence of Danny Casper as a real threat, and the effects that USA Curling's High Performance Program has had on Korey's game over the last decade.

It was a wild week at the WFG Masters in Guelph as The Curling Group debuted the new blank rule, held the first-ever GSOC Playoff Draft, and Foamgate was all the rage. Ross Whyte made history by winning his first Grand Slam event and Anna Hasselborg followed in Rachel Homan's footsteps, becoming the second skip in a row to win both the GSOK and GSOC titles in the same weekend.  After we wrap up all the happenings in Guelph, we are joined by Anna Hasselborg to discuss her team's evolution over the last few years, how good it felt to win their 8th Slam, her passion for music, and she tells us the very cool story of her last name. As a bonus, she also teaches us some Swedish curling slang.

Happy New Year! Your local neighbourhood Broom Brothers are back and we're kicking off 2025 with some massive news on the docket: Karlee Burgess has quit Team Carey to join Team Einarson. John and Robbie break that move down while also discussing the recent Mixed Doubles Olympic Trials and get you set up for the upcoming WFG Masters in Guelph. Then, we are pleased to be joined by Karlee Burgess herself, who joins us for her first podcast interview since the news broke. We discuss how the decision to leave Team Carey came together, why she made the move, how her partner Jacques Gauthier's own situation affected this one, and what she's most looking forward to with the new squad.