2001 Scott Tournament of Hearts: Colleen Jones (NS) last rock & measure to win vs Kelley Law (CA)

Описание: Full game:    • 2001 Scott Tournament of Hearts - Champion...  
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55 years of CBC curling: Colleen Jones' last-rock heroics
Colleen Jones began her run of four consecutive Scotties wins with this final rock that needed an official measurement to secure the win.
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Most memorable Scotties finals: 2001 – Down to a measure

The 2001 Scott Tournament of Hearts (the tournament was renamed the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 2007) final had one of the most dramatic endings you’ll ever see.

It pitted the last two Canadian champions – and the best two skips in curling at the time – against each other as Nova Scotia’s Colleen Jones looked for her third national title versus defending champ Kelley Law of Team Canada.

Jones, the winner of the 1999 Scotties, was back in the playoffs after missing out the previous year because of a disappointing round robin performance. Law’s rink, who won their first Canadian championship in their home province of British Columbia the year prior, finished atop the standings in the round robin.

Nova Scotia and Canada had already headlined two of the best games of the bonspiel to that point. In their round robin clash, Jones allowed Law to tie the game in the 10th end with a three-spot and then a steal of one in the extra as the Halifax crew dropped their fourth straight game to go to 3-4 and were in danger of missing the playoffs.

Team Jones would turn things around quickly though, winning their next four games to set up a rematch with Team Law in the 1 vs. 2 page playoff, a game they would win to punch their ticket to the final. Law snuck by Ontario’s Sherry Middaugh in the semifinal to reach her second straight title game.

So, how would the rubber match unfold at the Sudbury Community Arena on Feb. 25, 2001?

It was a defensive battle for the first six ends as neither side was able to score that all-important deuce until Canada scored two in the seventh to take a 5-2 lead. Nova Scotia bounced back with three points in the 8th before stealing another in the 9th. Law almost won the game in the 10th after her shooter slid out of the rings following an incredible raise takeout. She was forced to settle for one, sending the 2001 Canadian championship to a do-or-die extra end for the first time since 1998.

With her first stone in the 11th, Jones wrecked on a guard as she attempted to make a crucial takeout through a port. Law drew through the same port with her last stone, forcing Jones to make a soft roll off her own in order to win her third Scotties championship. Fearing the hack was getting slippery, Jones placed a mitten on the hack for better traction, an unprecedented move especially with the national title on the line.

“I can’t believe she’s doing this. That’s unbelievable that she would do this on the last shot of the game,” CBC commentator Mike Harris said during the broadcast.

After releasing the rock, Jones yelled “curl, curl, curl,” all the way down the sheet not knowing if was going to work out. The yellow stone rolled off their own and towards the button, stopping just a few inches away from the four-foot. Law’s red stone was also just a few inches from the four-foot.

The rocks were identical using the naked eye, meaning this Scotties final would come down to the most dramatic ending: on a measure. The Scotties or Brier had never ended on a measure prior to 2001.

The crowd went silent. Jones and teammates Kim Kelly and Mary-Anne Waye put their arms around each other waiting for the result to come down. Law’s rock was measured first. Then the official slid the measuring device clockwise towards Jones’ stone.

“I think Nova Scotia has got it,” CBC’s Don Wittman told viewers across Canada.

Then the official pointed towards the rock to signify the Maritimes win.

The shrieks and screams from Team Jones could have probably shattered glass if it was nearby. Both rinks couldn’t contain their emotions following the surreal ending between the two curling giants.

“That was a great game,” Jones told Mark Lee immediately after the match. “I don’t ever remember seeing a game like that.”

Jones watched the movie Gladiator earlier in the week when the team was 3-4, saying the main character played by Russell Crowe was “a survivor and he never quit…that’s what I feel like this team is.”

After watching that 2001 final, were you not entertained?