RIP Sandra Mulroney

Sandra Mulroney will be remembered today in her home town of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and also at the first big women’s Tour event of the season – this weekend’s Sandra Schmirler Charity Classic in Regina.

Mulroney, who passed away Sunday after a two-year battle with cancer, was the spunky second for Saskatoon’s Sherry Anderson from the late 1990s through the early part of this decade.

That particular Anderson lineup proved to be one of the strongest in women’s curling. The squad ran rampant on the World Curling Tour with big-money paydays – including a victory at the JVC/TSN Women’s Skins Game – and came oh-so-close to wearing the Maple Leaf on two occasions, both of which occurred during the Olympic season of 2001-02.

That year, Team Anderson lost the final of both the 2001 Olympic Trials (to Kelley Law, who won bronze in Salt Lake City) and then the 2002 Scotties Tournament of Hearts (to Colleen Jones).

The photo above shows skip Anderson at left, followed by third Kim Hodson, Mulroney and lead Donna Gignac.

For more on Mulroney’s memory, see this Sault story and also this one from Saskatchewan.