The Scotties Tournament of Hearts
Thunder Bay Welcomes World-Class Women’s Sporting Event
Story by Maya Ekman, Photo by Michael Burns, Curling Canada
The iconic statue of a curling rock in front of Fort William Gardens reads that Thunder Bay is the “Centre of Curling Canada.” That statement will ring true when the 44th annual Scotties Tournament of Hearts will be held at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay from February 14th to 23rd.
The event marks the third time that Thunder Bay has attempted to host the Scotties, with the pandemic cancelling the event in 2021, and preventing a crowd presence in 2022. This year can expect a huge turnout however, with people travelling from across Canada to watch the event, according to Diane Imrie of the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
Representing Thunder Bay is Team Northern Ontario, composed of skip Krista McCarville, Andrea Kelly, Kendra Lilly, Ashley Sippala, Sarah Potts, and coach Rick Lang. “Knowing that we have Thunder Bay on our side […] gives [us] a little bit of extra energy, and that fight and drive that you really want for yourself and for your team,” McCarville says.
This year will also be the first Scotties Tournament that Team Northern Ontario has played at home in Thunder Bay. “This will be a new experience for us, and we’re hoping that we’ll have a lot of support,” Lang says.
The winning team will attend the Women’s World Curling Championship in South Korea in March, also earning a spot in the Olympic play-downs, to compete to curl in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Finally, the winning team will return to the next Scotties Tournament of Hearts as Team Canada. “[On] Saturday night we play Team Canada, and they’re currently the number one team in the world,” Lang says. “That’s going to be a big challenge, but an exciting one for us to take on.”
Highlights this year also include youth engagement programs, including the school program, the Future Stars and the Girls Rock programs. “Curling Canada really is encouraging youth, [who are] the future of the sport,” Imrie says.
Also available for fans is the Original 16 Patch taking place next door, featuring local bands and a Valentines Day Special. A ticket to the Scotties is not needed to attend the party next door and support Thunder Bay’s musicians. “The impact locally is [that] you get to see some great curling. They’re encouraging our youth to be involved. We’re raising some money […] it's just a win, win, win,” Imrie says.
For more information and tickets to The Scotties Tournament of Hearts, visit curling.ca/2025scotties