On this page
The reasoning behind some of the league’s bigger rule changes, and where the prize structure has come from over the years. This page is meant to grow as new changes get made — see League History for the full timeline.
Expanding the Playoffs
Implemented in the 2022–23 season.
Previously:
- Teams were seeded into flights of 6–8 based on regular-season results.
- Quarter Final → Semi Final → Final, single-elimination, over 2–3 weeks.
Now:
- Playoff flights of 8–10, split into two pools of 4–5 teams using snake seeding.
- Pools play a 3–4 game round robin.
- Option 1 (preferred): the top two teams from each pool play a crossover semi-final — Pool A 1st vs. Pool B 2nd, Pool B 1st vs. Pool A 2nd — winners play in the final.
- Option 2: the top team from each pool plays directly in the final.
Why:
- Better value for teams, by increasing the maximum number of games in a season.
- Makes the playoffs feel like a bigger part of the season, rather than something crammed in at the end.
- Lessens the randomness of a single “bad game” deciding a single-elimination playoff.
See Format 1: Round Robin / Pool Play for how this looks in practice.
Changing How the Club Championship Is Awarded
Implemented in the 2021–22 season.
Previously: the Club Championship was awarded to the overall winner of the regular season.
Now: the Club Championship is awarded to the winner of the A Flight Playoffs. The regular season’s overall winner is now the Regular Season Champion.
Why: from the simplest perspective, it brings us in line with most other curling clubs and most sports leagues, major and minor. Two reasons stand out for our league specifically:
- It opens the Club Championship to a wider group of teams. Despite efforts to even out the points spread, it was typically won by a team that had played in A Flight for 3–4 seasons running. Now, a team can have a good first season, reach the A Flight playoffs, and compete for the Club Championship.
- There’s no definitive evidence that the team on top of the overall rankings is the “best” team. In league history, the Club Championship (under the old definition) and the A Flight Playoffs have been won by the same team only four times: McDowell (2000), M. Blonski (2005), K. Blonski (2016), and K. Blonski (2019).
Prize Breakdown (and History)
Last updated 2022-07-14.
As the league has grown, we’ve been able to increase the prize pool (including trophy cost) substantially — from around $3,000 to $4,500 — and place a little more emphasis on playoff results. Individual trophies were eventually cut, both for logistical reasons and in favour of increasing payouts.
Entertainingly, the league moved away from alcohol-based prizes to cash as junior players and teams started participating (and winning) in the league.
| Year | Per Series | Regular Season | Playoff Winners | Playoff Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Prizes are Cash (values per Team) | ||||
| 2025 – Current | A, B, C Flight Win: $80 D Flight Win: $40 All Ties: $40 | 1st – $400 2nd – $280 3rd – $200 | A – $400 B – $280 C – $200 D – $120 E – $80 | A – $160 B – $120 C – $80 D – $40 E – $20 |
| All Prizes are Cash (values per Team) — Trophy for Club Champion | ||||
| 2019 – 2024 | Win: $80 Tie: $40 | 1st – $400 2nd – $300 3rd – $200 | A – $400 B – $320 C – $240 D – $160 E – $80 | A – $200 B – $160 C – $120 D – $80 E – $40 |
| All Prizes are Cash (values per Team) — Trophy for Club Champion and Playoff Winners | ||||
| 2018 | Win: $80 Tie: $40 | 1st – $400 2nd – $320 3rd – $240 4th – $160 5th – $80 | A – $200 B – $180 C – $160 D – $140 E – $120 | A – $100 B – $80 C – $80 D – $40 E – $40 |
| 2016 – 2017 | Win: $80 Tie: $40 | 1st – $320 2nd – $240 3rd – $160 4th – $120 5th – $80 | A – $200 B – $180 C – $160 D – $140 E – $120 | A – $100 B – $80 C – $60 D – $40 E – $20 |
| 2012 – 2015 | Win: $80 Tie: $40 | 1st – $320 | A – $180 B – $160 C – $140 D – $120 | A – $100 B – $80 C – $60 D – $40 |
| All Prizes are LCBO Gift Cards (values per player, including spares) — Trophy for Club Champion and Playoff Winners | ||||
| ~2005 – 2011 | Win and Tie: $15 | 1st – $75 | A – $50 B – $50 C – $50 D – $50 E – $50 | A – $25 B – $25 C – $25 D – $25 E – $25 |
| All Prizes are Liquor (volume per player, including spares) — Trophy for Club Champion and Playoff Winners | ||||
| Unknown – ~2004 | Win and Tie: 12oz | 1st – 40oz | A – 26oz B – 26oz C – 26oz D – 26oz E – 26oz | A – 26oz B – 26oz C – 26oz D – 26oz E – 26oz |
Last updated July 14, 2022