By Jonathan Brazeau
It's the last dance for Canadian curling icon Brad Gushue, who announced Wednesday that this season will be his final year at the competitive level.
One of the game’s greatest players is also one of the most decorated in the Grand Slam of Curling with 15 men’s titles. The only curler who has captured more men's titles as a skip is the legendary Kevin Martin with 18.
As Gushue prepares to start his final season this week at the AMJ Masters in London, Ont., here’s a look at some of his greatest moments in the Grand Slam of Curling series — with perhaps more to come before the year ends.
2005 PLAYERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
Gushue would be the first to admit that during his early days in the Slams, he took his lumps against the world’s best. He missed the playoffs during his first five appearances in the series with a steep learning curve to overcome.
When the then-24-year-old Gushue qualified for the first time, he made it all the way to the final — and in his hometown no less — at the 2005 Players’ Championship in St. John’s.
Although Martin came out on top, winning 6-3, it was a sign that Gushue had arrived. The following season, he was an Olympic gold medallist.
Honourable mention: Every other Grand Slam event held in Newfoundland and Labrador. The unreal atmosphere the fans bring when Gushue is on the ice is next level.
2010 NATIONAL
Gushue was looking for redemption during the 2010 National final in Guelph, Ont. During the previous season, Gushue faced Wayne Middaugh for the title and held the hammer in the eighth end with the game tied. Gushue’s rock was heavy, rubbing off Middaugh’s stone, to give up a steal and what would have been his first Grand Slam championship.
Gushue would have to wait another year until he returned to a Grand Slam final and another shot at his first title in the series. He faced Randy Ferbey, who had already defeated Gushue during round-robin play.
Again, it was all knotted up in the eighth end with Gushue owning the hammer once more. Longtime third Mark Nichols made two great shots to set the table for Gushue, who hit and stuck on his last to count two points and the 6-4 victory for Grand Slam title No. 1.
2014 MASTERS
Gushue’s second Grand Slam title win didn’t come until the 2014 Masters in Selkirk, Man. The event was the first Grand Slam of the Olympic cycle and the first since Nichols rejoined Gushue after a stint with skip Jeff Stoughton. Team Gushue was on the cusp, reaching two finals and a semifinal during the previous season, but once Nichols returned, the team found its top gear.
Gushue faced Mike McEwen in a wild men’s final. After Gushue scored four in the fifth end to take a 6-2 lead, Magic Mike entered the chat. Whether it was the shot he called or not doesn't matter; the result was one of the craziest manoeuvres in series history to count four points right back.
While McEwen’s shot went viral, Gushue rebounded with a deuce in the seventh and held on to win 8-6, kicking off one of the greatest eras for a team in the series.
2015 NATIONAL
Gushue had a dramatic start to the 2015-16 Grand Slam of Curling season, beginning close to home in Paradise, N.L., for the inaugural Tour Challenge. Much like the 2005 Players’ Championship, Gushue had the crowd on his side and went on a spirited run to the final, but came up just short, losing to Kevin Koe in an extra end.
His team was flying through the second stop, posting a 4-0 round-robin record at the Masters in Truro, N.S. The momentum came to a halt during the quarterfinals against Steve Laycock as Gushue lost his footing and fell face-first onto the ice. Gushue was taken to the hospital, located right across the street from the arena, as his team carried on as a trio. Lo and behold, Gushue returned to finish the match, still sporting his medical bracelet, but Laycock led by one with the hammer in the eighth end and tacked two more points on the board to win 5-2 and advance.
Still sporting a shiner, Gushue never missed a game, nor a beat. He guided his team to the National final in Oshawa, Ont., against Reid Carruthers only a few weeks later. Gushue threw a team-high 92 per cent in the 7-2 victory.
2016 PLAYERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
The stakes were high during this chapter in the Battle of the Brads at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Gushue was chasing an elusive Players’ Championship title, the last of the four majors left to cross off the list, and what better place than the historic venue formerly known as Maple Leaf Gardens?
Meanwhile, defending champion Brad Jacobs needed a repeat to secure a spot in the season-ending Champions Cup. The tournament required teams to win a high-profile title during the year, and the Players’ Championship was his team’s last chance.
As is tradition between Gushue and Jacobs, it was a tight back-and-forth “Braddle” until the late stages of the match. After Gushue scored a deuce in the sixth to take a 5-3 lead, Jacobs looked to match in the seventh with a draw for two. However, his shooter came up light to score just a single point.
That gave Gushue a one-point lead coming home, and he kept the eighth end clean to clinch the Players’ Championship trophy, joining the Mount Rushmore-esque list of Martin, Middaugh, Glenn Howard and Jeff Stoughton among skips who have completed career Grand Slams.
2018 CHAMPIONS CUP
Winning all four majors is one thing, but winning every title in the series is another.
Gushue became the first (and only) skip to win seven different events in the Grand Slam of Curling at the 2018 Champions Cup in Calgary.
The final pitted Gushue against Howard, who was playing in his first Grand Slam of Curling final since the National in March 2014. Oddly enough, Howard defeated Gushue in that final. Could Howard turn back the clock?
Gushue opened with the hammer but gave up a steal in the second and needed a measure in the third to snag a point. The fourth and fifth ends mirrored the start as Gushue stole a point back and then held Howard to a single to knot it up 2-2.
Gushue cracked the game wide open in the sixth, counting three points, and a steal of three in the seventh iced the game, 8-2.
And before you ask, no, Gushue has no intention to tank and go after any of the Grand Slam of Curling’s Tier 2 titles to add those to his haul.
2024 PLAYERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
Gushue’s most recent title win in the series came at the 2024 Players’ Championship, back at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre, in a final that went down to the wire.
Joël Retornaz's team was on fire that season, winning three Grand Slam of Curling titles consecutively and ascending to No. 1 in the world rankings. Could Retornaz become the first to take four Grand Slam trophies in a single season?
In a scenario that’s all too familiar, Gushue held the hammer coming home with the game tied. Gushue came through in the clutch to win 7-6 as his shooter pinballed into the perfect spot for shot rock, and even earned a tip of the cap from Retornaz.
