More records updated in Regina
[With files from Curling Canada]
More sport records were adjusted Sunday night as Brad Gushue’s Team Canada won their third Brier title in a row at the Brandt centre in Regina.
Mike McEwen’s Saskatchewan foursome were the victims, falling 9-5 in a nine-end championship final.
The victory put any lingering thoughts about a “bizarro Brier” full of upsets to rest. The Gushue machine simply rolls on. If there’s a hiccup or two, it always rights itself.
That’s what it does.
“This moment is awesome, this is what it’s all about. This is why I play the game and I love this moment,” said the 43-year-old Gushue after the team’s record-tying third title in a row and his sixth Canadian curling championship in eight years.
Only Team Randy Ferbey of Edmonton had previously won three Brier championships in a row, from 2001 through 2003.
“It isn’t about how many,” added Gushue, “it’s about this moment right here.”
It was an impressive victory for the St. John’s Curling Club crew, featuring third Mark Nichols, second E.J. Harnden and lead Geoff Walker.
Gushue, Nichols and Walker have now won six Brier titles, the same as Ferbey. The list of four-time Brier champions isn’t very long either—it counts Saskatchewan’s Ernie, Sam and Arnold Richardson and Alberta’s Kevins, Koe and Martin.
Team Canada made a statement in the second end—Saskatchewan did nothing particularly wrong, but two superb Gushue draws to a piece of the button got the defending champs off and running.
Two ends later Gushue chipped a front stone into the rings and rolled his shooter into the house for three more points and a 5-1 lead.
Saskatchewan, representing the Nutana Club in Saskatoon, had everything going for them heading in to the gold medal final. McEwen, Colton Flash and the Marsh twins, Kevin and Daniel, scored an emotional and dominating 7-3 semifinal victory over Team Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher earlier in the day, were full of confidence and had a house full of fans cheering on their every shot.
But none of it was enough to dull the knife of Gushue and Co.
“It hurts that we didn’t have our best game,” said McEwen. “You could tell both teams were struggling with the ice but Brad was stellar the first four ends.
“But I’m proud of what we’ve done in six months … and we’re not done yet. Despite the result today, this was a hell of an accomplishment.”
Saskatchewan didn’t roll over after the early deficit. They had Team Canada in serious trouble in the sixth end when McEwen, without last rock, had three stones bunched around the button behind cover. The best Gushue could do was bump one far enough to concede only two points, and see his lead shrink to one.
Gushue, however, regained control, making a double in the seventh for two points.
“If you asked me after the sixth end I didn’t know if I would be here,” he said. “But it feels awesome. To start off the week the way we did (2-2 record). To be honest we lacked confidence and it was fun to see it develop the way it did as the week went on.”
Gushue, who shot a sparkling 97 per cent in the game and won the Hec Gervais Award as the Most Valuable Player of the Brier playoffs, was particularly proud of winning his sixth title.
“Longevity is a big thing,” he said. “Once you win a couple in a row it’s easy for the motivation to drop off and I don’t think it has for me, or E.J. or Mark or Geoff. We’re still driven, we still want to win.”
Saskatchewan was looking to win their first Brier for the province since Saskatoon’s Rick Folk captured the Tankard in 1980.
Team Gushue will now represent Canada at the world men’s championship Mar. 30 to Apr. 7 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
“Lost last three finals so hopefully we can take it one step further,” said Gushue. “The world championships are getting tougher and tougher to win. We’re going to have to play like we did at the end of this week and still catch a few breaks.”
With a top six finish in Schaffhausen, the squad can also earn the first men’s team berth in Canada’s Olympic Trials, scheduled for Nov. 2025 in Halifax.