September lineup roulette? Oh yes
It’s not yet October, and the first curling team lineup domino has fallen.
Second Jacques Gauthier has been let go from Team Kevin Koe, according to a Tuesday afternoon statement posted on the squad’s socials.
“Team Koe has decided to part ways with second Jacques Gauthier,” reads the somewhat terse first sentence.
“During his time with the team, we made five finals and celebrated two event wins last season,” the statement continued. “Jacques has been a great teammate and friend, and we wish him success moving forward.
“As we move forward, Team Koe remains focused on our goals. Stay tuned for updates in the near future.”
The last time a change took place on a major team this early in a curling season was in mid-December of 2022, when Jason Gunnlaugson departed Team Reid Carruthers.
“Gunner” has not yet returned to high-performance curling as a competitor, although he has dabbled in coaching.
Prior to joining Koe, Gauthier—the son of Canadian and world champion Cathy Gauthier, who also commentates on TSN broadcasts—skipped British Columbia at the 2022 Brier.
He was also the Brier alternate for Gunnlaugson’s 2021 Manitoba team.
Gauthier also won 2020 world junior men’s gold as a skip, and another gold in 2018 as alternate for Tyler Tardi, his cousin, who plays third for Team Koe.
The change comes just one day before Team Koe hits the ice in Calgary at the PointsBet Invitational—which is sure to have Curling Canada’s media team scrambling.
Team Koe has played twice so far this fall. They went 5-1 at the Saville Shootout in Edmonton, losing in the quarterfinals, and were 2-0 in Okotoks before dropping three straight games—two of them qualifiers—to crash out of the playoff picture.