Canada and curling are everywhere in the news these days…but not for the right reasons. I for one, had never even heard of a “hogline” until four days ago…now it’s everywhere.
At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, a curling match between Canada and Sweden erupted into a bit of a kerfuffle when Swedish players accused Canadian vice-skip Marc Kennedy of touching his stone twice after release before the hogline [see?]
The confrontation escalated on the ice, with tempers flaring, and Kennedy having some choice words for the Swede.
“Ridiculously hard!” 🤪
Initial reaction from the finish line here at #UAETour 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/jc8ACEoA1l
— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) February 18, 2026
Ultimately officials chose not to penalize the play, later tweaking and then reversing their new officiating rules amid criticism.
There were also some similar disputes in Canada’s women’s match against Switzerland. Now, it seems on social media, everyone is a curling expert.
Before the third stage of the UAE, some of Osgoode, Ont.’s Derek Gee-West’s new teammates had a little fun before racing started. A rider and staff member both poked the Canuck, mimicking Kennedy’s finger and the stone at the Olympics. Not only is Gee-West Canadian, but he’s got a big ole (although not big enough for my liking, but whatever, close enough) maple leaf on his back.
The UAE Tour’s first mountain stage at Jebel Mobrah shook up the standings, as early-season favorite Remco Evenepoel had a jours sans–after an impressive start to the season.
Antonio Tiberi powered to victory and claimed the leader’s jersey. Mexican Isaac del Toro staged a late comeback on the brutal 13.2 km climb, finishing close behind Tiberi, while Derek Gee-West rode a solid race to seventh on the day and moved up overall.
“The first three days racing with the team have been great,” Gee-West said after. “I am quickly getting used to the team and we have had a nice mix of a very stressful sprint day, a time trial, and then today so covering all the bases pretty quickly.”
Evenepoel now falls out of the GC top ten.
Thursday’s stage is relatively flat.
Anyway, here’s some curling/cycling crossover below.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…