Olympic gold medalist Brad Gushue says he might not touch a curling rock all season. He’s shifted into different priorities in life—being a dad to his daughters, 19-year-old Hayley and 15-year-old Marissa. “I tried to keep them away from the game, but they both found it,” Gushue said. “I grew up playing with Russ Howard, and I saw his kids having to wear the Howard name on the backs of their jerseys and the burden that could be. So, I want them to find their own path, and if that means that they’re competitive and getting Canadian championships, great. If not, this game has brought me so much more than championships. So, I’m hopeful that they’ll have the same experience that I did,” Gushue told CTV News. Gushue tells his story in Gushue: The Making of a Champion, co-authored by Stephen Brunt, and the six-time Brier champion will make an appearance for Wordfest at the Memorial Park Library on Nov. 10th. The book takes glimpses at some of the times Gushue curled in Calgary, including the bubble during COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, when his rink was here for two and a half months for the Tim Hortons Brier and other curling events. “I remember playing one of those events at WinSport during the pandemic when I made a great shot, and instead of hearing the fans roar, I could actually hear the toilet flush underneath the stands,” Gushue said with a laugh.
