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Brad Gushue has skipped himself to the top of Canada’s curling mountain.
On Sunday, the product of St. John’s, N.L., won his fifth Brier title as a skip — the most ever by one player at that position. Randy Ferbey won Canada’s men’s curling championship six times, but just four times as a skip.
“It’s pretty cool, to be honest. I was reading through some of the messages that I’ve gotten over the last couple days and I have almost too many to read but I’ve gotten through them,” Gushue said Wednesday on The Green Zone.
“I got one from Ernie Richardson and that was a special one for me because of what he did in the ’50s and ’60s and winning four out of five years during a time when there were so many teams and ice conditions weren’t what they are now. I thought what he did was absolutely incredible and just to be put into that same sort of category and discussion, it’s pretty special.
“It’s something I’m very proud of.”
It’s been a long road for Gushue to reach this level of success. He played in 13 Briers before finally capturing his first gold in 2017 in St. John’s. Now he finds himself the winner of five of the last seven events.
“It’s been pretty incredible. We’re getting the fruits of our labour that we’ve put in over the course of our career, especially earlier in our career. We probably didn’t get rewarded as much for the effort that we’ve put in, but I think that’s really changed the last seven years,” Gushue said.
“A big part of that is the teams that we’ve put together and the support we have around those teams as well. We’ve got a great group and we work so well together. I think that’s the main reason — and a little bit of luck too. You do need some luck and some missed shots to go your way.”
Along with some good fortune, consistency has been the key for the rink.
Third Mark Nichols and Gushue have been curling together since they were 18 years old.
“We used to play against each other in juniors and we always had two of the top three teams in juniors and I approached him right after a junior final one year and I said, ‘Why are we doing this? We are banging our heads against each other. Why don’t we join forces and make a much stronger team?’ and he agreed with it,” Gushue said.
“Both of us are very committed to this sport, hard-working and passionate about the game and he puts up with me, which can be challenging at times.”
Lead Geoff Walker left Alberta and has been with the team since the 2011-12 season. The newest member is second E.J. Harnden, who joined the team this season.
Gushue and his rink will wear the maple leaf at the upcoming world championship in Ottawa in April, trying to win their second world title. Their first came in 2017.
“It’s going to be a grind like they have been the last few times we’ve been there. There are so many good teams now in the rest of the world and more this year than there were in the past,” Gushue said.
Gushue will try to replicate 2018 in Regina with the 2024 Brier taking place at the Brandt Centre — the site of Gushue’s second Brier win. His team gets an automatic berth as defending champion.
“We’re excited. I look back at that 2018 Brier and it’s probably the best we’ve ever played. We had such a great week and really rolled through that Brier — I don’t want to say with ease because that wouldn’t be fair or accurate — but certainly it was easier than some of the other Briers that we’ve played,” Gushue said.
“To go back to Regina and go back to an environment where you know you’re going to be comfortable and confident, that’s exciting.”
