A few days before the tournament started, Northwest Territories skip Kerry Galusha, a proud supporter of the development of curling in Canada's North and Indigenous communities, announced her retirement from competitive curling after the 2025 Hearts.[4] The 2025 Hearts marked her 19th appearance at the national championship (excluding official Scotties pre-qualifying tournaments), and Galusha finished the event with a total of 173 games played at the Scotties, which ties her with Mary-Anne Arsenault for 4th all time in total career games played at the hearts.[5][6]
A February 13 snowstorm in southern Ontario delayed flights from Toronto, meaning Team BC and Saskatchewan's lead Deanna Doig did not arrive at the Scotties until the morning of February 14, the same day as their first game of competition. It did not matter, as both teams won their first games, including Saskatchewan beating the hometown Northern Ontario rink, skipped by Krista McCarville. Also in the first draw, Team Alberta (Kayla Skrlik) played with just three players due to their lead, Geri-Lynn Ramsay being ill, and their alternate Crystal Rumberg not arriving to the event yet. Despite being shorthanded, they won their first game over New Brunswick.[7] Ramsay was back in action for their second game.[8]
In their first game against Kaitlyn Lawes, Team Quebec (skipped by Laurie St-Georges) set a tournament record by making seven steals in a single game. In the match, they stole one in the first end, and then after the second was blanked, stole singles in the next five ends, followed by a steal of two in the eighth. Quebec won the game 8–2.[8]
During early part of Draw 3 action, curlers complained of a "greasy substance" which blackened their brushheads. This resulted in a mopping of the ice, and teams were allowed to change their brushheads.[8] Ice conditions continued to be an issue the next day, with Team Canada skip Rachel Homan stating "[the ice is] fairly straight just kind of everywhere, and then some spots more than others [...] it can be a bit challenging for sure".[9]
Team Canada clinched first place in their pool in the evening draw of February 19 after their win over Nunavut. British Columbia (Corryn Brown) and Alberta (Kayla Skrlik) also secured Group A playoff berths that evening.[10]
In Pool B, Team Manitoba (Kerri Einarson) clinched first place after their final game on February 20. The team had to win their last four games to do it, and had trailed at the fifth end break in three of those four games. Team Nova Scotia (Christina Black) and Ontario (Danielle Inglis) also clinched playoff berths from the group.[11]
Both Manitoba–Einarson and Team Canada (Homan) advanced to the page playoff 1 vs. 2 game by winning their playoff games on February 21. To qualify, Homan's rink defeated Nova Scotia (Black) 10–5, while Einarson defeated Alberta (Skrlik) 7–4. Skrlik rebounded by beating Ontario (Inglis) in the 3/4 page qualifier game, while Black's Nova Scotia rink downed British Columbia (Brown) 10–5. This eliminated Brown and Inglis from the playoffs, while Black and Skrlik advanced to the page 3 vs. 4 game. Also on February 21, Team Canada's Homan and Tracy Fleury, and B.C.'s Sarah Koltun and Samantha Fisher were named first team tournament all-stars, while Quebec's Laurie St-Georges, Einarson's third Val Sweeting, Manitoba–Lawes' Jocelyn Peterman and Einarson's lead Krysten Karwacki were named second team all-stars.[12]
In the 3 vs. 4 game, Nova Scotia's Christina Black rink took on Alberta's Kayla Skrlik. Early in the game, Nova Scotia's second Jennifer Baxter had to leave the game due to a "family emergency" (it was later revealed her father had died), and was replaced by alternate Marlee Powers, who had already seen action in the tournament as part of the team's front-end rotation. The switch didn't phase the team, who won 8–7. After trailing 6–5 after eight ends, Black scored three in the ninth after drawing to a piece of the button. In the 10th end, Skrlik had to make a difficult quadruple takeout to score two and tie the game, but missed, thus losing the match. With the win, the team advanced to the semifinal, Black's first as a skip, and second in her career, after having played in the 2018 semifinal as a part of the Mary-Anne Arsenault rink.[13]
Team Canada's Rachel Homan rink won the 1 vs. 2 page playoff game over Manitoba's Kerri Einarson, 8–4. The game was tied 2–2 after five, but Homan made an in-off through a narrow port of staggered guards to score two. Homan scored another deuce in the seventh after Einarson missed both her shots, a draw and a long angle raise. Einarson managed to score two in the eighth end, but game up another two-ender in the ninth when Homan ran an Einarson stone on to her own rock, tapping it back to remove another Einarson rock off the button. Einarson conceded the game at that point. The win put Homan into the final, and dropped Einarson into the semifinal to face Black. It would be the seventh finals appearance for Homan and second Emma Miskew.[14]
Einarson's Manitoba rink defeated Nova Scotia in the semifinal, 9–8. The game came down to the last end, when the game was tied 8–8 with Einarson having hammer. On her last stone, Einarson made a light weight tap of a Nova Scotia stone, but it jammed on one of her rocks. This forced a measurement, which revealed that she had tapped the rock far enough to score a single, winning the game. The win would put Einarson into the final in a rematch against Homan.[15]
Rachel Homan's Ottawa team successfully defended its gold medal in the final before an sellout crowd and completed an unprecedented second straight undefeated run through the Scotties with a 6–1 win over Manitoba's Team Kerri Einarson. In the process Team Homan tied its record for consecutive wins at the Scotties with its 22nd straight victory. Homan became the first player at any position to be score a perfect 100 per cent shooting percentage in a Scotties gold-medal game. It was a tight game through six ends, and it was Homan — who delivered back-to-back double takeouts in the third end to stop a potential for a 2 or 3, and prompt a blanked end. The teams traded singles in the fourth and fifth ends, but in the back half of the game, it was Team Canada that was able to pull away. After a blanked sixth, Homan made a hit-and-roll behind a short centre guard, and Einarson was heavy with her draw to bite the pin, giving Team Canada a steal of one. An end later, Einarson needed a piece of the four-foot looking at two Team Canada counters and barely got into the 12-foot. The gloves came off for handshakes with another stolen point for Team Homan, ending a game that was the lowest scoring in Scotties final history, eclipsing the eight points combined in 1994 when, Team Canada (skipped by Sandra Schmirler) defeated a Manitoba team skipped by Connie Laliberte 5-3.[16]
Team Homan trailed their opponent only three times during the entire competition. In Draw #3, Team Northern Ontario (McCarville) began the game with the hammer and scored one point, leading 1–0. Homan responded with four, and McCarville then notched three to tie the game. Homan then scored three and led for the remainder of the game. In Draw #9, Team Saskatchewan (Martin) began the game with a steal of one from Homan, who had LSFE (hammer in the first end), to lead 1–0. Homan took the lead 2–1, Martin then tied, and later took the lead 5–4 after six ends. Homan responded and eventually won the game. Furthermore, Team Homan only twice allowed their opponent to steal. In the aforementioned Draw #9 game against the Martin rink, Team Saskatchewan opened the game with a steal of one. In draw #13, Team British Columbia (Brown) stole one in the eighth in a nail-biter to the finish.[citation needed]
Teams
A total of eighteen teams qualified for the 2025 Scotties. The fourteen Canadian curling member associations held playdowns to determine who would represent their province or territory. Team Canada is represented by Team Rachel Homan, who won the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.[17]
In a slight change in the qualification format from 2024, the final three teams in the field pre-qualified for the 2025 Scotties based on their 2023–24Canadian Team Ranking Standings, which meant they bypassed the provincial qualifiers. These spots initially went to Teams Chelsea Carey, Kerri Einarson and Kaitlyn Lawes.[18] This is different from the 2024 qualification where two teams pre-qualified for the event with the final spot going to the highest ranked team on the CTRS standings following the conclusion of the provincial championships.[19]
On January 2, Karlee Burgess left Team Carey, meaning they no longer retained three of their four players from the previous year.[20] Their spot was then given to the next highest ranked team on the 2023–24 CTRS rankings, Team Selena Sturmay.[21]
The Marj Mitchell Sportsmanship Award was presented to the player chosen by their fellow peers as the curler that most exemplified sportsmanship and dedication to curling during the annual Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
The Sandra Schmirler Most Valuable Player Award was awarded to the top player in the playoff round by members of the media in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
This Award recognizes a builder in the sport of curling is named in honour of the late CBC curling producer Joan Mead.
Andrea Ronnebeck – a life-long resident of Northern Ontario (Kenora) who has coached athletes of all levels for more than 40 years. Ronnebeck has been a team coach at five Scotties Tournaments of Hearts, served as Team Leader for Curling Canada's Junior Teams at World Championships, and coached at dozens of development camps around the world. She recently retired as Education Manager with the Ontario Curling Council, a position she held for 9 years. She is a Certified Master Coach Developer, a Certified Level 4 Curling Coach and an active contributor to Curling Canada's coach education programming.
^ abTeam Canada's alternate Rachelle Brown threw lead stones for the last end of Draws 1 and 15.
^ abFor Draw 1, Team Alberta (Skrlik) played with three players as lead Geri-Lynn Ramsay fell ill prior to Draw 1 and alternate Crystal Rumberg was not yet in Thunder Bay for the event. Ramsay would return to the lineup for Draw 3.
^ abTeam British Columbia's alternate Kristen Ryan threw lead stones for the last two ends of Draw 9.
^ abTeam New Brunswick's alternate Molli Ward threw second stones during Draws 9 and 13.
^ abcFor the last two ends of Draw 6, Team Newfoundland and Labrador's alternate Kate Paterson threw second stones, second Sarah McNeil Lamswood threw third stones and third Erin Porter sat out.
^ abTeam Newfoundland and Labrador alternate Kate Paterson threw lead stones in Draw 10.
^ abcTeam Northern Ontario used a front-end rotation.
^ abcFor the first two ends of Draw 17, Team Prince Edward Island played with their usual lineup. After the second end, alternate Jenny White entered the game as both lead Whitney Jenkins and skip Jane DiCarlo (who threw third stones) left the game. This left the team shorthanded with just three players for the remainder of the game.
^ abTeam Prince Edward Island's alternate Jenny White threw second stones for the last end of Draw 11.
^ abTeam Saskatchewan alternate Colleen Ackerman threw lead stones in Draw 13.
^ abcTeam Northwest Territories' alternate Ella Skauge threw lead stones in Draws 4, 10, and 14 and second stones in Draw 16.
^For Draw 17, Team Nunavut's lead Alison Taylor was not able to play, leaving the team shorthanded with just three players as they did not bring an alternate to the event.
Canada (Homan)
Manitoba (Einarson)
Alberta (Skrlik)
Nova Scotia (Black)
British Columbia (Brown)
Ontario (Inglis)
Northern Ontario (McCarville)
Quebec (St-Georges)
Saskatchewan (Martin)
New Brunswick (Adams)
Northwest Territories (Galusha)
Newfoundland and Labrador (Godsland)
Prince Edward Island (DiCarlo)
Nunavut (Weagle)
Yukon (Scoffin)
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