Scottish Skip Wants To Break Canadian Hearts In 2010

07/04/2009 03:09

It's a delicious opportunity, one that won't come around again for a generation or more.

To win an Olympic gold medal in curling is one thing; to do it in the most curling-crazy nation on the planet, and break millions of Canadian hearts in the process? "That," said smiling Scottish skip David Murdoch, "would be sweet." More so on the men's side than on the women's, where the rest of the world has drastically narrowed the talent gap, Canada remains the gold standard for the rest of the world.

It's understood that regardless of which team prevails at next December's Tim Hortons Olympic Trials in Edmonton, it will head to the Vancouver Olympic Centre two months later an automatic favourite.

"Canada's the benchmark, without a doubt," said Murdoch. " These guys are playing at a really high level. It's always sweet to beat Canada." But beating a team besides Canada in a gold-medal game wouldn't take anything away from the experience, suggested Murdoch.

"Getting the gold medal is the priority," said the former world champ, who's expected to officially be handed the skipping duties for the team from Great Britain on May 1. "That's what we're planning for, for sure. That's the reason we spend so much time over here curling against Glenn (Howard) and Kevin (Martin) and Randy (Ferbey) and all these guys." A few of the Europeans got their first look at the curling venue at the Vancouver Olympic Centre last month when the world juniors were staged as the Olympic test event, and while they have high hopes for the arena as finishing touches are applied over the next 10 months, they admit they expected a grander setting.

"To be honest, it was a chance to really show the whole world how big the crowds could be in Canada and how big the sport is," said Murdoch. "Obviously, they want the legacy and they don't want to be left with an empty 15,000-seat stadium, and that's perfectly understandable."

SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:

I can’t stand Scottish curlers at the best of times, particularly David Murdoch. It will be really “sweet” when Canada pounds Murdoch any time – and, particularly, at the 2010 Olympics. The “sportsmanship” he normally displays on the ice always puts a target on his back.