By John Cullen<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 and what would be his final \u2014 title in the very same place this March.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter 2022, at the age I was at, it was kind of quadrennial to quadrennial, really,\u201d Gushue told the media Thursday, a day after announcing he will retire from competitive curling at the end of the season. \u201cThe 2024 season was when I knew this was probably going to be the last one.<\/p>\n
“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\u2019d find the will to go play another quadrennial. But as the season progressed, it kind of got up to about 99 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
All of that gets magnified even more when you live in St. John\u2019s, where you need multiple flights to get just about anywhere, where there\u2019s a dearth of curling clubs, and where sponsorship dollars may not be in full supply.<\/p>\n
For Gushue, that\u2019s the part of the game that became toughest for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHanging 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\u2019s 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\u2019re done, that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to miss the most.\u201d <\/p>\n
FINISHING ON A HIGH NOTE <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Brier as well as two Grand Slam of Curling finals.<\/p>\n
When asked about what impresses him most about his own career jammed full of highlights, it\u2019s actually the longevity aspect that stands out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact we\u2019ve 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\u2019m very proud of,\u201d Gushue said. \u201cWith how the game has evolved over the last 25 years, that\u2019s something I think is very hard to achieve.\u201d <\/p>\n
GUSHUE’S DISCIPLINE IMPRESSES BOTTCHER<\/p>\n
For second Brendan Bottcher, he isn\u2019t 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\u2019s.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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\u2019re calling, but especially on the practice sheet when we are out there together,\u201d Bottcher noted. \u201cThe continued commitment to move the needle that little bit further every day you\u2019re on the ice and march forward is part of all that hard work that\u2019s kept [Brad] playing at such a high level for as long as he has.<\/p>\n
“That\u2019s something we can all take forward, whether that\u2019s on the ice or off.\u201d<\/p>\n
NICHOLS PONDERING FUTURE<\/p>\n
It seems highly likely that Bottcher will continue to play competitively after this season, though he said on the call that it\u2019s not something he\u2019s begun to think about yet. Perhaps the bigger question is where this decision leaves third Mark Nichols, Gushue\u2019s long-time running mate and the guy who has stood next to him on every podium he\u2019s been on top of.<\/p>\n
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 \u201ckind and empathetic support.”<\/p>\n
So, will Nichols continue?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d say right now I\u2019m 50\/50,\u201d said Nichols, clearly deep in thought. \u201c[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\u2019t talked to anyone about it other than my family and close friends.<\/p>\n
“I don\u2019t know what other players are doing, I don\u2019t know what anyone else is doing, but sometimes you\u2019re 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\u2019t made up my mind, but I\u2019m in that process now.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s, who have grown up with the two teammates and have embraced them perhaps more than any other athletes in the province\u2019s history. <\/p>\n
GUSHUE ADDRESSES ROCK LEAGUE<\/p>\n
With the announcement of his retirement at the conclusion of the Brier (or worlds, if they win their last dance in St. John\u2019s), it became apparent that Gushue\u2019s omission from the initial list of Rock League captains was not by accident, a fact Gushue addressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I said, at the end of last season, I was about 95 per cent there and I needed [an offer] that would\u2019ve been compelling enough for me to continue to curl, because obviously playing in the Rock League would be extending my career,\u201d Gushue said. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t enough for me to really get super excited about it, to be quite honest. And that\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Gushue won\u2019t be participating in Rock League \u2014 at least for now \u2014 he was quick to point out its importance and hopes for it to succeed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish The Curling Group the best of success. I think it\u2019s 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\u2019s important for the game, and certainly I\u2019m going to be in that boat where I am cheering and hoping for their success.\u201d <\/p>\n
GUSHUE CREDITS GRAND SLAM OF CURLING<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey came onto the scene very early in our career, and we played in our first Slam I think 22 or 23 years ago,\u201d Gushue recalled. \u201cI think it gave us an opportunity to showcase our game, and play on great ice against great teams.<\/p>\n
“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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gushue also recognized the importance of the exposure of the Slams to his own career and the game in general.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt allowed us to showcase our sponsors, and that\u2019s 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\u2019t think we would be able to curl as long, to be quite honest.<\/p>\n
“I think if the Grand Slams weren\u2019t around, my career probably wouldn\u2019t have made it all the way to 45.\u201d <\/p>\n
WHAT’S NEXT?<\/p>\n
And what a career it has been. While Gushue said he doesn\u2019t have any immediate plans for his post-career future \u2014 a sure sign it was the right decision and not affected by a future opportunity, he said \u2014 there\u2019s no doubt his legacy on the game is indelible.<\/p>\n
It\u2019ll be a year to remember not just for the usual excitement of an Olympic year, but because one of the game\u2019s best-ever talents is walking away. The only question now is how much more crowded his trophy case will get before he does it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By John Cullen Brad Gushue won the first of his six Brier titles in 2017 in his home…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":154437,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-154436","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154436\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}