Canada clinches playoff spot with win Pushing closer to podium

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This article was published 22/02/2010 (6039 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER — Kevin Martin and Team Canada are one large step closer to the Olympic men’s curling medal podium.

Now, the key for Martin’s Edmonton-based team — including third John Morris, second Marc Kennedy and lead Ben Hebert — is to make sure there are no mis-steps between now and Thursday’s semifinal.

A 6-4 win over Switzerland’s Markus Eggler on Sunday afternoon at the Vancouver Olympic Centre not only extended Canada’s record to 7-0, it also locked up first place in the 10-team round-robin tournament, with two games left to play.

That means a guaranteed top-four finish and hammer in the first end for the semifinal (and gold-medal game, should Martin and Co. advance), “and you’re sitting on that for two days,” noted Kennedy. “So don’t get lazy. Don’t get complacent. Keep doing the little things properly, and keep trying to stay energetic.”

Quite frankly, it was tough at times to do that Sunday against the Swiss, who dropped to 4-3 with the loss. Eggler kept things wide open against the favoured Canadians, despite giving up deuces in the first and seventh ends to fall behind.

But he struck back with two in the eighth and, in the end, managed to get a rock protected in the four-foot ring and forced Martin to draw to bite the button for the victory, which is as close to a money-in-the-bank shot as you’re going to find at the Olympics when Martin’s throwing it.

“Chicks dig the long ball,” said a smiling Hebert afterwards. “And chicks dig the draw to the button, too.”

A reporter told Martin in the media mixed zone that he couldn’t remember the last time Martin missed a draw like that to win the game.

“Well, I remember one I missed,” shot back Martin with a chuckle, referring to his infamous missed draw against Norway’s Pal Trulsen in the 2002 Olympic gold-medal final. “But I haven’t missed one lately. I don’t know; we have good sweepers, the ice is good, the speed has been very consistent, and that’s all you can ask for.”

Martin curled at 94 per cent on Sunday.

Canada closes out its round-robin schedule with games today against John Shuster of the U.S. and Tuesday against China’s Fengchun Wang.

Interestingly, Martin didn’t realize he’d locked up first place until he reached a gaggle of reporters in the mixed zone; behind them, a monitor showed Norwegian skip Thomas Ulsrud miss his last shot to lose to Sweden’s Niklas Edin, a result that clinched the top seed for Canada.

“That’s good timing,” said a laughing Martin. “Well, that’s obviously the goal going in. I didn’t really know the standings until today, because it doesn’t matter. It’s all about your own team trying to get to the semifinals.”

— Canwest Olympic Team