Pat Simmons looks for new horizons as his curling team announces break up

Pat Simmons is in a tough situation, true.

Might be, however, that any currently underperforming skips on teams with Olympic aspirations are in their own tough spot because of the availability of the 41-year-old curling star.

With the announcement that the Simmons rink - including lead Nolan Thiessen, second Carter Rycroft and third John Morris - is disbanding at the end of this season, Simmons is a free agent. If you're a curling fan, there's no need for me to run down his resumé. If you're not, suffice it to say that he's the equivalent of an all-star goaltender or quarterback in his prime.

And he's available.

Problem is, we are less than a couple of years away from the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea and that is not optimum free agency time. Those teams that consider themselves contenders to represent Canada are - one would assume - set when it comes to their line-up.

Putting a player like Simmons on the scene might have more than one of them reconsidering that, though.

“Hopefully there’ll be a few offers on the table and I’d love to have to make a tough decision," says Simmons, over the phone from his home in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. "That’d be a good thing. We’ll see what happens.”

He is not planning to force the issue, taking a wait and see approach. His phone will ring, undoubtedly. A fair bit. “It’s got to be the right circumstance and opportunity for sure,” he says, underlining the fact that he does want to continue playing and playing a lot. Simmons has his eye trained on those Olympic Games, but it's more than that.

“I’ve got the time and ability to play and play a lot and would enjoy to do that," he stresses. "I love the game and it’s been a huge part of my life.”

What he has not enjoyed is the nagging uncertainty that has blurred the picture surrounding his curling life since the 2013-14 season. That year, Simmons, Rycroft and Thiessen, along with their skip, Kevin Koe, were plugging their way through the question marks of what was largely a dismal season. They fairly well knew they'd be splitting apart at season's end. Funny thing happened on the way; they caught fire at the Alberta Championship, winning it and then The Brier, before finishing out of the medals at The Worlds.

Koe formed a new team at season's end (the team that is representing Canada at The World Men's Curling Championship beginning this weekend) and Simmons, Rycroft and Thiessen were joined by John Morris. They curled a light schedule, knowing they had a berth a the 2015 Brier locked up as they'd be returning as defending champs. They might have disbanded after that except another funny thing happened. They moved Simmons to skip during that Brier and won it all once again.

That meant another automatic Brier berth this season where the foursome finished fifth during the round robin and out of the playoffs. With no duty to return as defending champs next year, and Morris recovering from an operation to repair a hernia, the time became right for the team to split apart.

“No regrets whatsoever," says Simmons, when asked if, in light of his present situation, he wonders if he should have made a different decision back in 2014. "I’ve enjoyed the last couple of years. I’ve enjoyed the guys and having John on board was great. Learned a lot from him and Earle (Morris). I wouldn’t change one thing.”

“The part that’s been tough for me is just the uncertainty. For three years, now, we’ve been playing and there’s always been, you know, a situation where somebody wanted to step back or we didn’t know who were were going to get... that whole feeling of we’re not fully in and fully committed. That’s been the toughest part for me.”

Rycroft and Thiessen are stepping away from the game for a while, something they likely would have done sooner had they not won that Brier with Koe or repeated with Simmons and Morris in 2015. The grind of nailing down an Olympic trials berth is not for everyone, at least not always. Simmons, though, is all-in and is hopeful of landing on a team that wants to go for it.

“It’s a bit of a tough time, I understand that," he says, wary of the current landscape. "We’re halfway through a (qualifying) cycle and there’s a lot of teams that are, in all likelihood, fully set.”

That is the truth of the matter but there is another. Only one of nine Olympic Trials berths have been claimed so far. If there are teams out there that wonder if they have the necessary stuff to go after one of them, they will seriously consider one of the best shooters and tacticians in the game; A guy who can draw the button in the eleventh end to win a Brier, as Simmons did in 2015.

“I think I’m still gaining ground, if anything,” Simmons says of his abilities, pointing out that he has a big appetite to continue throwing tons of rocks. He says he still likes to work out, to practice and to play. Now he needs a rink that suits those sensibilities and because of a new rule that was implemented this past off-season, he doesn't have to leave his home province of Saskatchewan. Teams are officially allowed one out of province member, so Simmons can consider hopping aboard anywhere.

In the meantime, his current team will curl again, in the season ending Champions Cup, in Sherwood Park, Alberta, at the end of April. With Morris still laid up, alternate Tom Sallows will play with them.

As well, Simmons has accepted an invitation to play with John Shuster's squad at The Players' Championship, beginning April 12th, in Toronto. He's not sure where they'll slot him but figures it'll be a front end job.

“I think the lead’s missing so maybe I’ll even play lead and, you know, practice a few draws, just have some fun. And see if I can still sweep a bit,” he says with a laugh.

In the meantime, Simmons will field some offers and get used to life without the teammates whose company he has enjoyed and with whom he's held on tight around every hairpin turn they've come across over the last two or three seasons.

“It’s always a bit of a shock for me when things change or teams come to an end," he says, a little wistfully.

"It is what it is and time to move on.”