Newly crowned Canadian champions, from left, Glenn Howard, Richard Hart, Craig Saville and Brent Laing will try for their first world title in Edmonton. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

The past few months have not been kind to Edmonton.

Back in the fall, denizens of the City of Champions watched their Eskimos miss the CFL playoffs for the first time since Trudeau was in power. The arrival of spring has coincided with the Oilers' precipitous fall from NHL playoff contention following their trade of fan favourite Ryan Smyth.

Things finally seemed to be looking up earlier this month with the city readying to host the 2007 world men's curling championship beginning March 31. For one, the Oilers' days of torturing Edmonton crowds were nearing their end as the team prepared to vacate Rexall Place to make room for the big spiel. Even better, native son Kevin Martin was among the favourites to win the Brier and earn the right to represent Canada in his hometown.

Alas, Martin was unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs in Hamilton, Ont., by Manitoba's Jeff Stoughton, and Ontario's Glenn Howard went on to claim his first national title.

No wonder it seems a dark cloud hangs over Edmonton these days. But the silver lining for the city's curling fans is that they'll have an excellent chance of seeing a Canadian lad add to the country's record 29 world men's titles.

"Glenn Howard's team is the best in the world right now," says CBC curling analyst Mike Harris, who will help call the semifinal and final on April 7 and 8. "They're easily the favourites in this field. Heavy favourites."

Who will try to spoil the party as Howard pursues his first world championship as a skip in front of what is sure to be a supportive Edmonton crowd? Here's a breakdown of the entire field, including each skip's senior international credentials, along with Harris's take on the rinks most likely to qualify for the playoffs.

THE FAVOURITE

Canada
Players: Howard, Richard Hart, Brent Laing, Craig Savill
Credentials: 1987 and 1993 world champion (as third for Russ Howard)

Team Howard has been on a roll over the past two years. At the 2006 Brier in Regina, the Coldwater, Ont., rink cruised through round-robin play with a tournament-best 10-1 record before suffering a heartbreaking loss in the final to Jean-Michel Menard's upstart Quebec team. But the defeat didn't faze Howard and co. After posting the same 10-1 mark at this year's Brier in Hamilton, Ont., the hometown favourites soundly defeated Newfoundland's Brad Gushue in the championship game for Howard's first Canadian title as a skip. Though he'll be taking his own team to the worlds for the first time, Howard knows what it takes to win — he captured the 1987 and 1993 titles playing third for big brother Russ.

Harris's take: "The real key to their success of late is Glenn learning how to be a skip. It is a big difference from playing third, especially mentally."

THE CONTENDERS

Scotland
Players: Warwick Smith, Craig Wilson, David Smith, Ross Hepburn
Credentials: Reigning world champion (as second for David Murdoch); 1999 world champion (as third for Hammy McMillan); 1996 world silver medallist; appeared in 2002 and 2003 world championships; appeared in 2002 Olympics (as third for McMillan) and 2006 Olympics (as second for Murdoch)

Harris’s take: "Warwick is a skip at heart and he's gone back to where he's most comfortable. He's one of the favourites to land a playoff spot."

Sweden's Peja Lindholm captured his third world championship as a skip at the 2004 competition in Gavle, Sweden. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

Sweden
Players: Lindholm, James Dryburgh, Victor Kjall, Anders Eriksson
Credentials:Three-time world champion (1997, 2001, 2004); two-time world silver medallist (1998 and 2000); appeared in 1993 and 1995 world championships; two-time European champion (1998 and 2001); appeared in 1998, 2002 and 2006 Olympics

Harris’s take: "Lindholm really knows the game well, and he's got all the credentials in the world. The key for him is how his new team [all three of Lindholm's teammates from the 2006 Olympics are gone] handles the pressure at the worlds. There aren't a lot of good rinks in Sweden, so Lindholm can get by the nationals on his own. But to beat Howard, his team will have to pull it all together."

Switzerland
Players: Ralph Stoeckli, Jan Hauser, Markus Eggler, Simon Struebin
Credentials: Reigning European champion (as third for Andy Schwaller); 2003 world silver medallist; appeared in 2006 world championship; appeared in 2006 Olympics

Harris's take: "This is a solid team on the World Curling Tour, but not outstanding. Stoeckli has lots of experience at the worlds, and that will benefit him. They're one of the better teams in the hunt for a playoff spot."

THE DARKHORSES

Finland
Players: Markku Uusipaavalniemi, Kalle Kiiskinen, Jani Sullanmaa, Teemu Salo
Credentials: 2000 European champion; 2006 Olympic silver medallist; appeared in 2002 Olympics; two-time world bronze medallist (1998 and 2000); appeared in 1997, 1999, 2001-03, 2005 world championships

Harris’s take: "Uusipaavalniemi gets better all the time. The silver medal at the 2006 Olympics was a huge boost, and at the Continental Cup this year he looked much improved. There's no one to challenge him in Finland, so he can go to the worlds any year he wants, and that's helped him. Plus he's a very bright guy and a good athlete. From a confidence standpoint, his team is much better than it was two years ago when it last appeared at the worlds. They're a solid contender for a playoff spot."

Finland's Markku Uusipaavalniemi made one of his eight world championship appearances as a skip in Winnipeg in 2003. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Germany
Players: Andreas Kapp, Ulrich Kapp, Andreas Lang, Andreas Kempf
Credentials: Two-time European champion (1992 and 1997); 1997 world silver medallist; 2005 world bronze medallist; appeared in 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1999 and 2001 world championships; appeared in 1998 and 2006 Olympics

Harris’s take: "They're a threat to make the playoffs, but they'll have to play at their best to contend. At the 2005 worlds they beat Ferbey in their first game of the round robin, then ended up getting bounced by losing two straight in the playoffs, so it's hard to say what's going to happen with them. They're very streaky."

Norway
Players: Thomas Ulsrud, Torger Nergaard, Thomas Due, Jan Thoresen
Credentials: Two-time European champion (1992 and 1997); 1997 world silver medallist; 2005 world bronze medallist; appeared in 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1999 and 2001 world championships; appeared in 1998 and 2006 Olympics

Harris’s take: "They lost in the semis last year to Scotland, but they should have won. They played well enough throughout the game, then kind of gave it away at the end. They know they're capable of being successful but, compared to other European teams, they don't play a lot at the major events in Canada."

THE REST

Australia
Players: Hugh Millikin (third rocks), Ian Palangio (fourth rocks), Sean Hall, Mike Woloschuk
Credentials: Eight-time Pacific champion (1991-95, 1997, 2005, 2006); appeared in nine world championships (1992-98, 2005, 2006)

Denmark
Players: Johnny Frederiksen, Lars Vilandt, Bo Jensen, Kenneth Hertsdahl
Credentials: Appeared in three world championships (2001, 2004, 2005)

France
Players: Thomas Dufour, Tony Angiboust, Jan Ducroz, Richard Ducroz
Credentials: Appeared in 2001 world championship (as second/third for Dominique Dupont-Roc) and 2004 world championship

Korea
Players: Je-Ho Lee, Jong-Chul Beak, Se-Young Yang, Young-il Kwon

United States
Players: Todd Birr, Bill Todhunter, Greg Johnson, Kevin Birr