Penton: Spotlight on Gushue at his final Brier
By Bruce Penton
In what will undoubtedly be a week-long celebration of the curling career of Brad Gushue, the 2026 Montana’s Brier will almost certainly crown a rink skipped by somebody else.
This year’s event is being staged this week in St. John’s, NL, where Gushue carries a saint-like aura after an outstanding career as our country’s best-ever curler. But his best days are behind him and if he happened to find some magic and lead his team to victory, it would be one of the biggest upsets in Brier history.
The overwhelming favourite to win the Brier is Brad Jacobs, representing Team Canada. Defending Brier champs and recently returned from the Milan-Cortina Olympics where he won the second gold medal of his career, Jacobs is the favourite in Pool A, the weaker of the two. He has Gushue in his pool, along with rinks from Ontario, Saskatchewan’s Kelly Knapp and Quebec. That competition will feel like your local curling club’s Thursday night men’s league schedule for Jacobs after the world-class field he faced in Italy.
It’s Pool B from where the most likely Jacobs’ rival for the title will come. Pool B features the two best rinks from Manitoba (Matt Dunstone and first-year Brier competitor Braden Calvert), along with Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen, a regular Brier hopeful, and four-time champion Kevin Koe from Alberta.
The excitement in St. John’s surrounding Gushue’s final Brier appearance is unprecedented. The ticket allocation has been nearly sold out and there’s even a waiting list for people who want to volunteer.
“I don’t think we’ve seen a Brier like this before, in terms of (someone) retiring at home," said Eugene Trickett, vice-chair of the organizing committee.
Gushue, meanwhile, hopes to duplicate the feat he and his rink accomplished in 2017, the last time the Brier was held at the Mary Brown Centre in St. John’s. That year, he skipped his rink to his first Brier title, defeating Team Canada, represented by Koe, 7-6 in the final.
Gushue has won an unprecedented six Brier titles, three while representing Team Canada. A rarity among top-level rinks, the Gushue rink has undergone only one lineup change since that first Brier title. Gushue, Mark Nicholls at third and Geoff Walker at lead have been the constants. Second Brett Gallant left the team after the fourth Brier title, replaced by E.J. Harnden in 2023. That second position is now handled by former Brier championship skip Brendan Bottcher. Gallant, meanwhile, joined Bottcher’s team in 2023 and is now is a stalwart on the Jabobs’ squad.
Gushue’s schedule is evidence that he is winding down his career. He has played in about half of the Grand Slam events, and his team’s won-loss record is a mediocre 3-3. There have been no Grand Slam wins this year for Gushue, who has 15 in his illustrious career.
A Gushue Brier victory is unlikely, but what a great Cinderella story it would be if he and his rink stunned the curling world in front of thousands of adoring fans in St. John’s.
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