Team Howard and Team Muirhead Claim Victory at the Players' Championship

- Coldwater, ON's Team Howard defeats Winnipeg's Team McEwen 4-3 in men's final -
- Scotland's Team Muirhead first European team to win Grand Slam event, beating Team Sigfridsson 8-5 in women's final -

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TORONTO, April 21, 2013 /CNW/ - Coldwater, ON's Team Howard and Scotland's Team Muirhead have been crowned victors of the 2013 Players' Championship, the final event of the 2012-13 Grand Slam of Curling season. Team Howard and Team Muirhead were awarded the Players' Championship trophies and prize money this afternoon at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. In total, the five-day tournament - featuring the top 30 men's and women's teams in the world - awarded a combined purse of $200,000.

In a nail-biting showdown, skip Glenn Howard edged out Winnipeg's Team McEwen in a tight 4-3 final. As winners of the Players' Championship, Howard received $26,000 as well as an additional $50,000 as a part of the Grand Slam of Curling's $100,000 bonus split between the top three men's teams of the season, with second place Team McEwen receiving $30,000, and third place Team Stoughton taking home $20,000. This was Howard's second win of the Grand Slam season after clinching the Canadian Open in Kelowna, B.C.

"This was by far the biggest championship we won this season," said Howard. "For us, it's an outstanding feeling going into the summer with this finish - it can't get any better."

On the women's side, skip Eve Muirhead defeated Sweden's Margaretha Sigfridsson in a high-stakes 8-5 final, becoming the first European team ever to win a Grand Slam event. The matchup was a repeat of last month's World Women's Curling Championship final where Muirhead skipped her team to gold. For the Players' Championship win, Muirhead received $23,000 in winnings and an additional $12,500 bonus for achieving the highest women's points total for the Grand Slam of Curling season.

"It feels great to be the first European team to win a Grand Slam as well as the first team to win a Players' Championship after winning the World Championship, capping off an unreal season for Team Muirhead," said Muirhead. "We've trained so hard and worked so hard, and to know it all paid off is a relief."

Owned and operated by Sportsnet, the Grand Slam of Curling is an elite series of men's and women's curling events which are part of the World Curling Tour and features the best teams from across Canada and around the world. Earlier this week, Sportsnet announced the locations for three of the four event locations for the 2013-14 Grand Slam of Curling season: The Masters in Abbotsford, B.C. (October 30-November 3, 2013); The Canadian Open in Medicine Hat (November 13-17, 2013); and the Players' Championship in Summerside, P.E.I. (April 15-20, 2014). Additional details regarding the full 2013-14 Grand Slam of Curling schedule, ticket information and broadcast details will be announced at a later date.

For detailed scoring information, please visit www.sportsnet.ca/events/players-championship. Images from the Players' Championship are available for download at http://bit.ly/YxVJRi

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SOURCE: Sportsnet

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