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Mark Nichols, a curler who has made a career on being the most prepared athlete on the ice, is now entering uncharted territory.
He insists he has no idea what’s going to happen next week.
The 46-year-old has spent more than half of his life attached at the hip to his skip, Brad Gushue. Now, with Gushue facing retirement, questions are swirling about what comes next for Nichols.
He shrugged his shoulders when asked on Monday night, and said he hasn’t made a decision.
“Honestly I’ve thought about it a lot,” he said. “I just wanted to put all my effort and energy into this Brier…. I’ll be very content with whatever happens. I’m very at peace with kind of how things go, and I just didn’t want to be focusing on anything other than the Brier.”
Nichols and Gushue teamed up as teenagers in 1999, and won the World Junior Curling Championship in 2001. Five years later, they were on the world stage again — becoming the first Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to win Olympic gold.
Some challenging years followed, as the team struggled to maintain its level of success. Nichols parted ways with Team Gushue for two seasons in 2012 and 2013, returning in 2014 with a reformed rink featuring Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker.
Together, the foursome captured their whale in 2017 — finally winning their first Brier in front of a hometown crowd in St. John’s. They’ve captured six Briers in the last nine years, along with another Olympic medal in 2022.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Brad Gushue, left, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, Geoff Walker and coach Jules Owchar hold the Brier Tankard after defeating Team Canada 7-6 to win the Tim Hortons Brier curling championship. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)
Around the curling world, Nichols and Gushue are known for their work ethic — raising the bar for other teams in terms of physical fitness and mental preparation.
Looking back on their partnership, Nichols said he’ll miss that most.
WATCH | ‘I’ll be very content with whatever happens,’ says Nichols:
As curling skip Brad Gushue prepares to retire, teammate Mark Nichols has to make a decision
Brad Gushue’s retirement has been the talk of the 2026 Montana’s Brier in St. John’s, but what about longtime teammate Mark Nichols? He says he’s done some reflecting on his future, but right now he’s focused on the Brier.
“The amount of work we’ve put in for this to happen, it’s not by accident,” Nichols said. “It’s been a lot of fun growing together as a duo, but also the teams we’ve been a part of. There’s always something you can do better, get better at. As you get better at one thing, it’s like ‘OK, what’s next?'”
The team is now on the hunt for one last Brier win, and hopes to play their final tournament at the world championship in Utah later this month.
Gushue told reporters before the Brier that he was confident in his team’s chances on the ice, but he was worried about how he’d handle his emotions away from the ice.
Nichols said the team has done its best to support him throughout the week.
“You try to make it as normal as possible. We’ve done a good job of isolating ourselves a little bit outside of the event,” he said. “We’re staying in a nice house together, and we’re spending a lot of time together. Just sharing stories and doing things we usually do.”
The team is off to a blazing start with a perfect record through its first five games, including an 8-5 win over their fellow Newfoundlanders in Team Young on Monday night.
Nichols said he’s willing to entertain any open doors after Gushue retires, but said he hasn’t made a decision on whether or not he’s going to keep playing.
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