Curling-Canadian men's team entering Games in 'sweet spot', says Kennedy
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 11 : Canada's men's team believe their chemistry is just right at the Winter Olympics, with the quartet having curled together long enough to build a solid bond but not so long as to have grown tired of each other's company.
Canada is the most successful country in men's Olympic curling history with six medals overall. Three of those have been gold and the last came in Sochi in 2014, when skip Brad Jacobs led them to victory.
Twelve years later, Jacobs is back and at the helm of an all-star lineup teeming with Olympic experience, with Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert having both won gold at the 2010 Games, and Brett Gallant winning bronze in 2022.
"Listen, it's been really good. We have built the foundation of the team for about four years now. We brought Brad in two seasons ago and he's really brought us up to another level. He's had great leadership since he's come on," Kennedy told Reuters.
"We've won a lot and we've won a lot of big games. We feel we're kind of right in that peak as a team and everybody feels good. Sometimes when you play together too long, you don't have that same energy or motivation when you're together.
"We have played together long enough that we know what to expect from each other, but still haven't played together so long where we're not excited and motivated to play with one another. We're right in the sweet spot."
Canada topped the round-robin standings with an 11-1 record at the world championships last year, but ultimately finished third after being beaten by Team Mouat, who are the favourites to win gold at the Winter Olympics.
Also in the field in Cortina d'Ampezzo are Niklas Edin's Sweden, the defending champions, and the Yannick Schwaller-led Swiss team, who are ranked second in the world.
"There are 10 incredible teams here. We've played every one of these teams before. I think almost every team here has beaten us before," Kennedy said.
"The parity in the field is incredible. Everybody's great. Obviously, you have your favourites, Britain and Sweden and Switzerland and ourselves. But there are going to be some really tough games here...
"Every single game is going to be a war and a battle. And we're not going to take anybody lightly."
Canada began their campaign at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium with a tough 7-6 win over 2024 European champions Germany which needed an extra end to be decided.
