With Trials coming up and Brier in hometown, Gushue ‘has the drive’ for final season

Canada skip Brad Gushue watches his shot while playing Team Manitoba-Dunstone during the playoffs at the Montana's Brier in Kelowna, B.C., on March 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Of all the victories, moments, titles and podium appearances that Brad Gushue has experienced over his legendary curling career, his team’s ability to be a consistent contender for two-plus decades is something that stands out for the Canadian skip.

“Just the longevity,” Gushue said Thursday on a video call with reporters. “The fact that we’ve been able to stay at or near the top of the game for such a long time, keep that motivation at (a high) level and go through how the game has evolved over the last 25 years.

“I think that’s something that I’m very proud of and I think that’s something that’s hard to achieve.”

The 45-year-old Gushue, from St. John’s, N.L., announced Wednesday that the 2025-26 season would be his last in competitive curling.

In a video post, he said the decision was “about my family and my team,” and that he’s “missed enough milestones to know I don’t want to miss any more.”

“I was afraid I was going to cry on this media availability, but I’m not sure I have any tears left, to be honest,” Gushue said. “It’s been an emotional process, but it’s been phenomenal.”

When Gushue steps away next year, he’ll leave as one of the sport’s all-time greats.

He won Olympic gold at the 2006 Turin Games and took bronze at the 2022 Games in Beijing. The six-time Montana’s Brier champion also won a world championship in 2017 and earned 15 career Grand Slam titles.

He told third Mark Nichols, second Brendan Bottcher and lead Geoff Walker about his plans at a team training camp last week.

Nichols, his longtime vice-skip, said they were aware Gushue was thinking about retirement but felt it was still “kind of hard to hear it.”

“It’s a decision that he had to make himself and we’re fully supportive,” Nichols said. “This season is going to be full of emotion now, even more so than it would have been anyway with the Trials and a hometown Brier again.

“So I think we really want to make the most of it and I know we’ve all worked extremely hard this summer to make sure we’re ready for it.”

After 13 tries, Gushue won his first Canadian men’s title in St. John’s with a walkoff victory in 2017. The 2026 edition will be held in the same venue starting Feb. 27.

Gushue’s team has also pre-qualified for the Nov. 22-30 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax. The winner will represent Canada at the Feb. 4-22 Milan/Cortina Olympics.

Nichols, second Brendan Bottcher and lead Geoff Walker all joined Gushue on the well-attended conference call.

“When I shared (the news) with them they were amazing, they were extremely kind, very empathetic to what I was going through and I couldn’t have asked for a better response from them,” Gushue said.

“Certainly the support that they’ve given me over the last week has meant a lot to me.”

Gushue, who has yet to decide on post-curling plans, said he struggled at times with motivation and drive last season but kept things to himself.

“My hope is by sharing it with everybody, it’s going to take a burden off me,” he said. “And to be honest, waking up this morning now with everybody knowing, I do feel better. So I’ll find the motivation. I know it’s the last year.

“I know I have that drive and I’m more excited today than I was yesterday about the season.”

Gushue’s team will kick off its campaign next week at the Grand Slam of Curling’s AMJ Masters in London, Ont.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2025.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press