Unlike many elite curling teams that are built for the full quadrennial, veteran Canadian skip
As long as he's having fun and his body holds up, the 61-year-old Howard says, he's keen to continue competing against the top rinks in the men's game.
His foursome is seeded 11th at this week's PointsBet Invitational, the first Season of Champions event of the season. The
""I'm a little nervous," Howard said of the new campaign. "The knees are a lot more sore than I'd like them to be. That might be a game-changer for me.
"But notoriously my knees start slow and they get better as I throw more rocks."
Howard will be one of the crowd favourites at the
Top women's seed
The 11th-seeded Howard will take on No. 6
"A great young team, up and comers," Howard said.
With son
"They can leave any time they want but they seem to want to hang around with the old guy," Howard said with a laugh. "That means a lot to me that the boys want to stick around with me."
The four-time world champion underwent left knee surgery in
Howard said he felt much better last season but he experienced some right knee discomfort over the summer.
"The body has taken a beating over the last couple of years," he said in a recent interview. "When it's sore, it does take the fun out of it. If it becomes too sore, that might be my telltale (sign). I really think this (season) is going to be a big litmus test.
"I really think this is going to be the one (season) that will say whether I can get through another couple or is this it."
Howard said playing the unusual format in the inaugural PointsBet Invitational last year led his squad to adjust its mindset at all competitions. Instead of a cautious, less-aggressive approach, there was a shift to more of a playoff mentality.
"When you play at a bonspiel, you've got an extra life and you can kind of rest on your laurels a bit," he said. "At the
Seedings for this year's brackets were based on last season's Canadian team rankings.
In addition to big names like
Play continues through Sunday. Winning teams will receive
This report by The Canadian Press was first published
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