By John Cullen
Brad Gushue won the first of his six Brier titles in 2017 in his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and he will have a chance to win his seventh — and what would be his final — title in the very same place this March.
It was not a chance for a storybook ending that drove the legendary skip to consider retirement, but rather a decision that he has been mulling over since he wrapped up the 2022 Winter Olympics with a bronze medal.
“After 2022, at the age I was at, it was kind of quadrennial to quadrennial, really,” Gushue told the media Thursday, a day after announcing he will retire from competitive curling at the end of the season. “The 2024 season was when I knew this was probably going to be the last one.
"I shared with my family that summer that I was probably 95 per cent sure this will be the last one, but there was always a hope that 95 per cent would shrink and I’d find the will to go play another quadrennial. But as the season progressed, it kind of got up to about 99 per cent.”
Curling is a difficult sport to participate in at the highest level. There isn't a boatload of money in the game. The travel is gruelling and takes teams to remote outposts across Canada and the world.
All of that gets magnified even more when you live in St. John’s, where you need multiple flights to get just about anywhere, where there’s a dearth of curling clubs, and where sponsorship dollars may not be in full supply.
For Gushue, that’s the part of the game that became toughest for him.
“Hanging out with your teammates, playing in the big events, getting the practice in, like I still love the game, but you weigh the pros and cons and over time, it starts to tip in the other direction," he said. "The time in the airport, the time away from your family and friends, that’s really what it comes down to. I still love to curl, I still love to compete, and certainly when March or April comes and we’re done, that’s what I’m going to miss the most.”
FINISHING ON A HIGH NOTE
Make no mistake, Gushue is leaving the game about as close as an athlete can be to the top of their sport while on the precipice of retirement, a height he has been at for the better part of two decades.
His team is still in the top 10 in the world rankings, he will be competing for a chance to represent Canada for a third time at the Olympic Games in Halifax in the fall, and he made the semifinals of last year’s Brier as well as two Grand Slam of Curling finals.
When asked about what impresses him most about his own career jammed full of highlights, it’s actually the longevity aspect that stands out.
“The fact we’ve been able to stay at or near the top of the game for such a long time and keep that motivation at the level that it has is something I’m very proud of,” Gushue said. “With how the game has evolved over the last 25 years, that’s something I think is very hard to achieve.”
GUSHUE'S DISCIPLINE IMPRESSES BOTTCHER
For second Brendan Bottcher, he isn’t surprised that Gushue has been able to stay at the top for that long because of how hard he trains, which is something of a legend in St. John’s.
When asked what the long-time skip would take away from what will end up being his season-and-a-half stint with Team Gushue, it was his training habits most of all.
“I think what stands out to me first with Brad is the discipline. Not just with regards to discipline within a game and the shots we’re calling, but especially on the practice sheet when we are out there together,” Bottcher noted. “The continued commitment to move the needle that little bit further every day you’re on the ice and march forward is part of all that hard work that’s kept [Brad] playing at such a high level for as long as he has.
"That’s something we can all take forward, whether that’s on the ice or off.”
NICHOLS PONDERING FUTURE
It seems highly likely that Bottcher will continue to play competitively after this season, though he said on the call that it’s not something he’s begun to think about yet. Perhaps the bigger question is where this decision leaves third Mark Nichols, Gushue’s long-time running mate and the guy who has stood next to him on every podium he’s been on top of.
Careful not to pressure Gushue into making a decision, Nichols only found out a week ago, along with the rest of his teammates, about the retirement, a decision Gushue noted was met by his teammates with “kind and empathetic support."
So, will Nichols continue?
“I’d say right now I’m 50/50,” said Nichols, clearly deep in thought. “[Brad retiring] does play a huge role in my decision moving forward. I was holding out hope for Brad continuing, but now that the door is closed, I have to make my decision. I really haven’t talked to anyone about it other than my family and close friends.
"I don’t know what other players are doing, I don’t know what anyone else is doing, but sometimes you’re like, man, I am one of the old guys now, and all the teams now are so good, and so young and so fit. And what is my body going to look like in two or three years from now? So to answer your question, I haven’t made up my mind, but I’m in that process now.”
While it is Gushue that often receives the accolades, if it does turn out to be a double retirement, Nichols also stepping away will signify a huge shift in Canadian curling with two of its very best back-end players retiring at once, and will be a huge change for the people of St. John’s, who have grown up with the two teammates and have embraced them perhaps more than any other athletes in the province’s history.
GUSHUE ADDRESSES ROCK LEAGUE
With the announcement of his retirement at the conclusion of the Brier (or worlds, if they win their last dance in St. John’s), it became apparent that Gushue’s omission from the initial list of Rock League captains was not by accident, a fact Gushue addressed.
“As I said, at the end of last season, I was about 95 per cent there and I needed [an offer] that would’ve been compelling enough for me to continue to curl, because obviously playing in the Rock League would be extending my career,” Gushue said. “There wasn’t enough for me to really get super excited about it, to be quite honest. And that’s probably overly blunt, and I apologize for that, but you know, if the right offer came along, you probably would take it, but it never evolved to that point.”
While Gushue won’t be participating in Rock League — at least for now — he was quick to point out its importance and hopes for it to succeed.
“I wish The Curling Group the best of success. I think it’s an important piece of curling going forward, and I think we, as stakeholders in the game, we have to be cheering for their success and supporting them along the way," he said. "I think it’s important for the game, and certainly I’m going to be in that boat where I am cheering and hoping for their success.”
GUSHUE CREDITS GRAND SLAM OF CURLING
While there are many accolades to discuss when it comes to Gushue, the Brier titles and the Olympic medals, he is also one of the winningest skips in Grand Slam history with 15 titles to his name, and credits the Slam circuit with helping him to develop as a player and with extending his career.
“They came onto the scene very early in our career, and we played in our first Slam I think 22 or 23 years ago,” Gushue recalled. “I think it gave us an opportunity to showcase our game, and play on great ice against great teams.
"And I think it improved our performance certainly early in our career, where we took our lumps going to the Grand Slams as most young teams do, and we learned how to lose, then how to keep the games close, then eventually how to win.”
Gushue also recognized the importance of the exposure of the Slams to his own career and the game in general.
“It allowed us to showcase our sponsors, and that’s a big part of the game right now, people recognize teams with the logos on and upwards of seven times a year with the Grand Slams, that was a key part to allow you to curl," he said. "And you know, Mark and I and Geoff [Walker] and now Brendan, I don’t think we would be able to curl as long, to be quite honest.
"I think if the Grand Slams weren’t around, my career probably wouldn’t have made it all the way to 45.”
WHAT'S NEXT?
And what a career it has been. While Gushue said he doesn’t have any immediate plans for his post-career future — a sure sign it was the right decision and not affected by a future opportunity, he said — there’s no doubt his legacy on the game is indelible.
It’ll be a year to remember not just for the usual excitement of an Olympic year, but because one of the game’s best-ever talents is walking away. The only question now is how much more crowded his trophy case will get before he does it.
