As a result of performances over the past two (2) seasons, four (4) men's teams have already qualified for the 2009 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings.

Ontario's Glenn Howard has been immersed in a back and forth battle with Kevin Martin for the top spot in Canadian men's curling for the past several years. And with the support of third Richard Hart, second Brent Laing and lead Craig Savill, Howard has made the rivalry entertaining for the fans.

Howard learned his winning ways playing third for his legendary brother Russ, winning Brier and World championships in 1987 and 1993. After striking out to skip his own team he has represented Ontario on four occasions starting in 2006. The team claimed the title at the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier and then moved on to win the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship.

In the 2008 Tim Hortons Brier Howard lost in the final to Martin and this year bowed out in the semi-final match with Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton.

The Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings will be a hometown affair for Edmonton's Kevin Martin. One of the most successful competitors in the history of the game, Martin will lead his team of third John Morris, second Marc Kennedy and lead Ben Hebert into Rexall Place for the Canadian Curling Trials this December.

The 2009 season has been a remarkable one for the Martin foursome with a victory at the Tim Hortons Brier followed up by another just a week later at the Canada Cup of Curling. The quest for a triple crown fell one rock short as they lost to Scotland in a thrilling final to end the Ford World Men's Curling Championship.

The Martin team orchestrated a record setting undefeated roll through the 2008 and 2009 Tim Hortons Brier. In a competitive career that dates back to 1985 with a win at the Canadian Junior Championships, Martin is a four time Brier winner, has represented Canada four times at the World's – capturing a gold and two silver medals – and was the silver medalist at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Kevin Koe took his first step onto the national curling stage in 1994, leading his Yukon/Northwest Territories team to the final of the Canadian Juniors Curling Championship. It was the second time the Territories had made it to a national final.

A native of Yellowknife, Koe moved to Alberta to take advantage of the higher level of competition. In 2000 he skipped Alberta to victory in the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship.

A force on the curling scene for a number of years, Koe's major breakthrough came in the final of the 2008 Canada Cup of Curling where he defeated Kevin Martin to secure the title. With Blake MacDonald throwing last stones, the Koe team also includes second Carter Rycroft and lead Nolan Thiessen.

It took an undefeated ride through the Players' Championship, the final event of the World Curling Tour, to give the Randy Ferbey foursome the fourth qualifying spot in the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings - making them the third Edmonton men's team to earn that right.

Ferbey is an eight-time Brier competitor with six Tankard victories and four world championships. With Dave Nedohin throwing skip rocks, the Ferbey team also features the dynamic front end of second Scott Pfeifer and lead Marcel Rocque. The team's victory at the 2005 Tim Hortons Brier marked its fourth Brier championship - the first ever to win four times with the same lineup.

The Ferbey rink is also a three-time winner of both the Ford World Men's Curling Championship and the Canada Cup of Curling.

In 2005 Jeff Stoughton battled all the way to the final rock of the final game of the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings.  In the end, it came down to an official’s measure that sent the Brad Gushue team on its way to ultimately win gold at the Olympics.

Now Stoughton is coming back to the Canadian Curling Trials for the fourth time, focused on clearing the final hurdle and moving on to represent Canada in Vancouver in 2010. The Stoughton team includes third Kevin Park, second Rob Fowler and lead Steve Gould.

A seven-time Brier competitor curling out of the Charleswood Curling Club in Winnipeg, Stoughton claimed the national title in 1996 and 1999 – winning the gold medal at the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship in ’96 and sliver in ’99.  The Stoughton foursome was defeated last year by Alberta’s Kevin Martin in the final of the Tim Hortons Brier.

One of the most exciting new faces breaking into the ranks of Manitoba’s top curlers is 25 year-old Jason Gunnlaugson, playing in just his first year as skip.

 On the merits of a berth in the 2009 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings, it’s safe to say Gunnlaugson has officially arrived – along with third Justin Richter, second Braden Zawada and lead Tyler Forrest from the Beausejour Curling Club.

The team earned a spot in the Road to the Roar through the Canadian Team Ranking System, and has been a force on the competitive circuit this year - losing to Kerry Burtnyk in the final of the Meyers Norris Penny Classic in late October.  Ironically, it was an extra-end victory over Burtnyk in the Road to the Roar that moved them into a showdown with another fellow Manitoban, Mike McEwen.

In a hard fought extra-end battle between the two “youngsters” – McEwen is just two years older – Gunnlaugson and his team claimed the cherished berth in the Canadian Curling Trials.

Since his initial Brier appearance in 2005, Pat Simmons has become the most recognizable name in Saskatchewan men’s curling – where the likes of the Richardsons and Campbells are still held in the highest esteem.

After qualifying for the 2009 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings, Simmons takes an important step towards sharing a piece of the province’s curling history with some of the best to ever play the game.

Curling out of the Davidson Curling Club, the Simmons team has been a model of consistency, competing at the Tim Hortons Brier in four consecutive years.  In 2008 they went all the way to the semi-final, going down to defeat to Ontario’s Glenn Howard in a classic extra end battle.

After missing out on the 2009 Brier, Simmons and third Gerry Adam, second Jeff Sharp and lead Steve Laycock have come out of the hacks this year with a focus on achieving the ultimate goal - an Olympic gold medal and a chance to join Saskatchewan’s legends.

The curling world has long recognized Wayne Middaugh as one of the finest shot makers in the game – especially under pressure.

With the last pass to the 2009 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings on the line, the skip from St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto - along with third Jon Mead, second John Epping and lead Scott Bailley- came through under intense pressure,Middaugh possessed all the skills - and studied the strategy - early in his curling career, throwing second stones for Russ Howard.  The team represented Ontario in four consecutive Briers – from 1991 to 1994 – winning both the Brier and Ford World Curling Championships in 1993.

In 1998, stepping up to skip, he led the way to a Brier tankard and a gold medal at the Ford World’s - and carried on to become a dominant force in Canadian men’s curling.