Statement on Canada Cup men’s final timing issue

After an internal review, it has been determined that during the fifth end of the men’s final of the Canada Cup on Sunday in Estevan, Sask., there was an officiating mistake that resulted in Kevin Koe’s team being told its final delivery was being pulled from play.

The communication to Team Koe took place while the stone was progressing down the sheet, potentially resulting in a communication lapse between vice-skip B.J. Neufeld and the sweepers. That communication to the team was the result of incorrect timing a few moments earlier. The team clearly called for its 30-second clock-stop with 11 seconds showing on the clock, but the clock was allowed to run down to two seconds before stopping, and was never reset to 11 seconds. The team should have had 41 seconds available in total (11 seconds on the clock plus the 30-second clock-stop) to deliver its final stone, and it took approximately 36 seconds, meaning the stone was delivered legally within the time that should have been allowed.

We want to give our athletes the best possible on-ice environment in which to show their talents, and we will continue to work with our on- and off-ice officials, and review all processes with regards to timing, to ensure this mistake isn’t repeated in the future.

The timing system used in the Canada Cup was a test, but the standard 38-minute full-game timing system will be used for all Canadian and world championship events.