Canadians come up empty
Koe is the first men’s skip from Canada to miss medals in curling’s modern era
PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA— Is it possible there’s a bright side to the great curling crisis of the 2018 Olympic Games?
On the grim day that saw Kevin Koe became the first Canadian men’s skip to exit the Olympics without a medal, maybe it was understandable that at least one member of his rink was finding a positive spin to a shocking historic failure.
“The U.S.A. making the gold-medal final might be the best thing to ever happen to curling,” said Marc Kennedy, Koe’s third. “It might not be the best thing that ever happens to Canadian curling.”
Take the qualifier out of that last sentence and Kennedy might have a point. It’s possible the high-profile U.S. success story of John Shuster’s underdog team might create an economic tide that eventually lifts all of curling’s boats by exposing the game to millions of new eyeballs in the world’s richest sports market. Still, nobody in the Canadian curling establishment will look back fondly on Canada’s semifinal loss to Shuster’s U.S. rink — especially since it was a prelude to a 7-5 defeat to Switzerland in the bronze-medal game that left Canada without a spot on the podium.
No great sporting power goes into an Olympics hoping an underdog foe will prosper at its expense, greater good of the global game be damned. It’s been 20 years since curling became a regular event at the Winter Games. In every one of those Olympics before this one, Canada won a medal in both the men’s and women’s draws. That both Koe and Rachel Homan are heading home empty-handed is nobody’s idea of a pleasant experience.
But to call the loss a symptom of a broken Canadian system is rash, too. Think about it: In the 59 years in which the world men’s curling championship has been contested, Canada has only missed the podium seven times — an 88-per-cent medal rate. Canadians haven’t been quite as dominant in the 39 years curling has held a women’s world championship; they’ve only found themselves on the podium 33 times — an 85-per-cent rate. So having both genders to miss the Olympic podium entirely — with gold in mixed doubles Canada’s only success — was tough to see coming. But it’s not as though it marks the latest in a string of under-achievements. It was only a year ago, after all, that the Canadian representatives at the worlds, Homan and Brad Gushue, both went 13-0 to win gold, the first time in history that had happened.
Maybe that was the tough part for Koe. There was nothing to blame but his team playing poorly at the wrong times, specifically when any number of opponents was playing better.
“I know that, after results like this, people are going to reflect on what went wrong. But I think at the end of the day it just comes down to individual performances, and stepping up at the most difficult event in the world,” Kennedy said. “This is a reflection of how well teams played against us, and us missing the shots at the wrong time. But I don’t think the overall curling system in Canada is a problem right now.”
The problem, in some eyes, is Canada’s hand in helping the rest of the world beat Canada. Most of the world’s top international rinks spend considerable time training and competing on Canadian soil. The majority of teams at the Olympic tournament were advised by Canadian coaches.
Maybe, Kennedy said, all of it is “to our detriment.” On the other hand, the rise of a global field has made curling one of the most compelling sports at the Olympics for years.
“It’s made for heck of an entertainment,” Kennedy said. “And at the end of the day, isn’t that what this is all about?”
Which is not to say that viewing Koe’s loss through a bigger, worldwise lens made it any easier to take. After it was over, Koe looked gutted. He stared grimly at the floor as he spoke to reporters.
“It just sucks,” Koe said. “We feel like we’re a better team than we showed in the playoffs . . . We just couldn’t pull it out when we needed to.”
But Koe bristled at the idea that the responsibility for the loss lied with Canada’s system.
“A lot of these countries have one good team. I couldn’t even tell you another good team in Sweden or Switzerland — no disrespect to the other teams. But (those countries) focus on one team, and those teams do well,” Koe said. “Curling Canada does everything right to get the teams ready for these events.”
The problem is that so does U.S. curling and Swedish curling and the Swiss, too.
“I can tell you, we could have used a few more misses (from opponents) this week, if teams were a little bit crappier. But they’re not. They’re damn good,” Kennedy said. “And they’ve learned how to win. And it’s tough to keep up . . .
“As a fan, it’s wonderful. I love seeing the sport grow. As a Canadian who wants to win everything, it sucks.”