By Jonathan Brazeau
LONDON, Ont. — Canadian curling icon Brad Gushue isn't done making memories in his career.
It was exactly one week ago when the 15-time Grand Slam of Curling men's champion announced he is going to retire from the competitive scene at the end of the season.
Gushue kicked off his "farewell tour" this week at the AMJ Masters and earned his first win of the Grand Slam tournament Wednesday with a 6-5 decision against China's Team Xiaoming Xu.
Although Gushue's announcement came recently, the decision to retire had been on his mind for some time.
"It sunk in long ago," Gushue said. "It was just the announcement and everybody else knowing now is the big thing. I’ve known this decision since probably last summer, to be quite honest, but having everybody else know, it’s a relief. It’s awkward sometimes because people want to celebrate the career that I’ve had, which I certainly appreciate and understand, but I also have six more months left.
"It’s an interesting thing, but it was something I wanted to do for myself, and also give my teammates lots of time to figure out their future because there are going to be teams and players that are interested in playing with them, but they may decide not to play either. I wanted to give them as much notice as possible and didn’t want to throw it on them at the 11th hour."
Gushue, who lost his opening game of the tournament Tuesday night to Italy's Joël Retornaz, improved to a 1-1 round-robin record.
It was a missed opportunity to start, as Gushue looked to hit and stick for two, but his shooter rolled out of the house. Gushue got a break back in the second to steal a pair of points and take a 3-0 lead as Xu wrecked on a guard with his last.
Xu (1-1) bumped his own stone in the house to knock out Gushue's shot rock and take two back in the fourth to close the gap to one.
After Gushue drew for a single in the fifth, Xu made a runback for a deuce in the sixth to make it all square at 4-4.
Gushue drew for one in the seventh and hung on to steal another point in the eighth as Xu's peel attempt to tie it up and send it into a shootout sailed through the house untouched.
"It was a tough game. The ice was challenging," Gushue said. "I think both teams really struggled to be super precise, but fortunately, we were able to squeak it out. It was a tight game.
"I think the seventh end could have went either way. We could have easily scored three or four, or if they made a great shot, it could have turned around to be a steal. We’re fortunate enough to get two there and then in the eighth end, it looked good until the last two rocks. They made some good shots, and I missed my first one, but made a good one on my second one, and we were able to pull it out."
Canada's Team Mike McEwen also moved up to a 1-1 record with a 7-1 victory over Team Korey Dropkin (0-2) of the United States.
In women's play, Canada's Team Kerri Einarson (1-1) escaped with a 7-5 win against Italy's Team Stefania Constantini (0-2).
Einarson stole three in the third end to hold an early 5-0 lead, but Constantini turned things around with a great in-off to score two in the fourth and chip away at the deficit.
With rainy conditions outdoors affecting the humidity and frost levels indoors, Einarson began struggling and conceded a steal of two in the fifth and one in the sixth to suddenly make things tied 5-5.
The five-time Grand Slam champ Einarson earned a point in the seventh and added a single steal in the eighth as Constantini attempted an angle raise that missed the mark.
"We love keeping everyone on the edge of their seats," Einarson said. "Knowing how tricky the ice is, a lead is never safe. Even when we were up 5-0, I was like, ‘I don’t think we’re safe.’ It’s really tricky ice to draw and it’s changing constantly.
"I had my feel to begin with and then all of a sudden it was heavier and then it was quicker, like it’s constantly changing. We just stuck with it and just kept taking a breath. We were fortunate to pull off a win."
One of the rule changes for the event is thinking time has been altered from 33 minutes to 31. Both teams were tight for time in the final frame. Einarson had 42 seconds left on her clock, while Constantini was down to five.
"It definitely speeds up the game. It’s kind of unfortunate because our game is so precise, so I don’t think cutting our time down makes it more entertaining. It actually makes it more stressful for the athletes, unfortunately," Einarson said.
"But change is good sometimes, I guess. You’ve got to try it. We’re always up for change and trying something different, but we could use that extra time."
Second Shannon Birchard is back in the fold after missing almost all of last season due to a knee injury and maternity leave. Karlee Burgess, who came on as an injury replacement for Birchard, has shifted over to lead. Alternate Krysten Karwacki is also available off the bench and came out during the timeouts, with coach Reid Carruthers down the road competing in the AMJ Masters Tier 2 division at the St. Thomas Curling Club in St. Thomas, Ont.
Einarson said it's amazing to have Birchard back and healthy.
"She’s got her little baby here, so we’ve got another new member of the team," Einarson said. "She’s such a big part of this team with shot-making and sweeping. I just love having her back, and I’m so happy to have her. Karlee is a great addition to our team, too. She’s an unreal shot-maker and sweeper, so it’s great to have them both."
Switzerland's Team Silvana Tirinzoni sits at the top of the table at 2-0 following a 7-3 win over Japan's Team Momoha Tabata (1-1).
UP NEXT
Round-robin play resumes with Draw 7 at 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT. Tickets are available at GSOCtickets.com with live online streaming at rockchannel.com.
Broadcast coverage on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ begins with Draw 10 Thursday at 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT.
NOTES
The AMJ Masters is the first Grand Slam of Curling event of the season, featuring 16 of the top men’s teams and 16 of the top women’s teams.
Preliminary play runs through to Friday with the top eight teams qualifying for the playoffs. If necessary, tiebreakers will be played Saturday morning. The quarterfinals and semifinals are set for Saturday. Both finals are scheduled for Sunday.
There are no extra ends during preliminary play and any tiebreakers. If a game is tied after eight ends, a draw-to-the-button shootout will determine the winner. Extra ends return for the playoff rounds.
Teams receive three points for a regulation win (in eight ends or less), two points for a shootout win and one point for a shootout loss.
