NISKU, Alta. — Joanne Courtney said she had butterflies while walking on the ice Tuesday night at the Silent Ice Center.

Courtney retired from the sport in 2022, but she makes a return this week for the Co-op Canadian Open, replacing second Shannon Birchard on Kerri Einarson’s team. Birchard needed more time to recover from a knee injury and Courtney got the call to be in the lineup.

The eight-time Grand Slam curling title winner from Edmonton said playing on the ultimate stage against the best teams in the world was the best. Having the event in your backyard makes it even better.

“It’s a dream come true, especially when I didn’t think I’d get the chance to do it with a five-year-old who never got to see me perform on that stage,” Courtney said. “He will be able to go out on Friday. It’s really special and not having the logistics of traveling, especially with a young family, was also really nice. Playing in your backyard is the best.

There are some connections between Courtney and Team Einarson. She previously played with third Val Sweeting and also played mixed doubles with coach Reid Carruthers.

“It’s an offer you can’t refuse,” Courtney said. “The familiarity is wonderful. I actually got to practice a little bit with Val before this event.

“You play against these people your whole career, so you get to know people on tour and it’s really a lot of fun to work my way into the lineup and get back into these top jobs.”

Team Einarson, from Gimli, Manitoba, welcomed Dawn McEwen for the first Grand Slam of curling event of the season at last month’s HearingLife Tour Challenge. Einarson defeated Ottawa’s Rachel Homan 5-4 in the championship match to win her sixth career Grand Slam title.

Courtney was also there at last week’s Saville Grand Prix in Edmonton. Team Einarson continued its quest for the title by defeating South Korean team Seung-youn Ha 6-5 in Sunday’s final.

DRAW 4 DRAW

Team Einarson got off to a good start at the Co-op Canadian Open with a 9-3 victory over Team Selena Sturmay of Edmonton.

Despite not starting with the hammer, Einarson quickly took a 5-0 lead. Sturmay was light on her draw in the first to give up a steal of two, then hit and rolled with her last in the second to concede three more runs.

After settling for a single in the third, it seemed the tide had turned. Sturmay stole two runs in the fourth to make it 5-3 as Einarson’s shooter didn’t brake in time and rolled too deep.

Einarson, however, recovered quickly with a tie for two points in the fifth to regain the four-point advantage. It was handshakes first as Sturmay tried to hit and roll with his last in the sixth, but his shooter just grazed to give up two more points.

“You just try to get in shape in that first match, learn the conditions and try to manage your rocks as best you can,” Courtney said. “Sturmay are a great team and we had to be conscious of where we left our stones. Ultimately, I’m pretty happy with the performance, but we’ll build from there.

Elsewhere in the fourth round, Team Rachel Homan of Ottawa defeated Team Sayaka Yoshimura of Japan 6-4. World number one Homan just won the gold medal at the Pancontinental Curling Championships in Lacombe, Alberta. Homan stole the winning point to beat South Korean team Eun-ji Gim 6-5 in Saturday’s final.

Winnipeg’s Chelsea Carey team topped Japan’s Momoha Tabata 7-6 and Sweden’s Isabella Wranå defeated South Korea’s Eun-jung Kim 7-5.

FOLLOWING

Round-robin play resumes Wednesday with the fifth draw at 10:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. MT.

Coverage on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ begins Thursday at 2 p.m. ET/noon MT.

REMARKS

The Cooperative Canadian Open is the second Grand Slam of Curling event of the season featuring 16 of the best men’s teams and 16 of the best women’s teams from around the world. … The round robin runs through Friday evening. The top eight teams advance to the playoffs. If necessary, a draw will be played on Saturday morning. … The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Saturday and the two finals will take place on Sunday.