St. John’s Shot nearly 20 years ago
ST. JOHN’S—Jennifer Jones, fresh into four-player curling retirement, is back in the barn that started her glorious career, nearly 20 years ago.
The date was Feb. 27, 2005 and the venue was Mile One stadium, now the Mary Brown’s Centre.
Jones made a wild in-off double takeout on her last-gasp throw of the 2005 Scott (not Scotties) Tournament of Hearts right here, in the capital of Newfoundland & Labrador.
And the place went bonkers.
“The Shot” saw Manitoba score four to win and many fans still rank it first among the greatest all-time curling throws.
The 8-6 victory gave Jones her first of six STOH titles and it crushed the dreams of Ontario’s Team Jenn Hanna, who had steamrolled through the last days of the round-robin, tiebreakers and the semifinal—and had the Manitobans essentially beaten in the 10th end.
That Hanna squad featured a young Dawn Askin, who would go on to marry Mike McEwen, move to Winnipeg and become a charter member of Team Jones.
“It’s pretty cool to be here again,” said Jones, between Sportsnet commentary gigs at The National Grand Slam shootout.
“It’s kind of fun, our team driver from 2005 came to pick me up at the airport when I arrived. We became very good friends over the years.
“It was a life-changing experience in so many ways, from the curling to the people. You just remember the hospitality here.”
The images captured above—by veteran Scotties shooter Andrew Klaver—all appeared on the April 2005 cover of The Curling News.
The 2005 Tournament of Hearts saw Jones finish the round robin at 9-2, B.C.’s Kelly Scott at 8-3 and Saskatchewan’s Stefanie Lawton 7-4.
Hanna’s Ontarians went 6-5 along with three other teams which included Team Canada’s Colleen Jones. But it was Hanna who blazed a trail all the way to the final and eventually lay buried on the button behind cover, leading Jones 6-4.
Then came The Shot, and a torrent of screaming and jumping from the Manitobans.
Jones was supported by teammates Cathy Overton-Clapham, Jill Officer and Cathy Gauthier.
The squad went on to the world championship in Paisley, Scotland but poor playing conditions throughout the week culminated in a playoff loss to Norway.
Jones’ return to The Rock in 2024 is prompting memories of her father, who passed away six years ago.
In one photograph taken after the last stone, Larry Jones can be seen approaching his daughter, who is crouched on the ice amid the bedlam surrounding her.
“It makes me think of my dad,” Jones said. “Such good memories.”
More memories were birthed at Mile One exactly one month (to the day) later.
Brad Gushue competed at his home venue and set the table for what would soon—just months later—make him a Newfoundland folk hero.
“I love it here,” said Jones. “I love the people, the vibe, the culture. Just everything about Newfoundland.
“I’ve always said I’d move to Newfoundland, and that’s never changed.”
