After a 'roller-coaster' of a final, Brad Gushue celebrates his 6th Brier championship
Team Gushue defeated Saskatchewan on Sunday for 6th title in 8 years
As he arrives home after further cementing his place in Canadian curling history, Brad Gushue says the celebration will be short because the world championships are just two weeks away.
Gushue — the St. John's skip representing Team Canada alongside second E.J. Harnden, third Mark Nichols and lead Geoff Walker — captured his sixth Brier on Sunday with a 9-5 victory over Team Saskatchewan.
Nichols and Walker also took home their sixth championship, matching Randy Ferbey of Edmonton for the record. Gushue is also the first skip ever to win six titles and three consecutive titles.
"It was a bit of a roller-coaster, but certainly it was nice to come out with a win … and not have it come down right to the last rock," Gushue told CBC News on Monday afternoon from Toronto, as he awaited a flight home to St. John's.
"It took me a long time to win the first one, and someone asked me, 'Did I ever think I'd win six?' And the only time I ever thought about winning six was after we won five. So you kind of take it one step and one year at a time, and, you know, we've had a great run over the last eight years."
Team Canada came out firing with a 5-2 lead through five ends, before playing what Gushue called "one of our worst ends that we played all year," which led to a steal of two from Saskatchewan skip Mike McEwen.
"Fortunately in the seventh end we turned around and got two right back on a couple really nice shots, and at that point we felt like we had the game under control," he said.
Gushue said the Brier presented a challenging week — the team struggled with the ice and rocks in the early stages but came more and more into their own after each match.
"Each and every game that we played, you know, that confidence started to build and build, and eventually got to where we were in the final, where I thought we were very confident and very ready," said Gushue, who the work ethic of his teammates.
The team will have a quick turnaround following the Brier, travelling to the world championships in Switzerland in just a fortnight. Gushue has one world title under his belt and has made the finals at the last two events.
"The level of play has increased dramatically over the last five, six years. So it's going to be a lot of really good competition, a lot of really good teams. And we're going to have to play well, at least as well as what we did at the Brier, to give ourselves a chance at winning," he said.
Beyond that, the St. John's skip has his sights set on another shot at curling's top prize.
"Obviously our goal with this team is to get to the Olympics in 2026," said Gushue, a two-time Olympic medallist.
"Between now and when we have that opportunity, if we can win another Brier or two that would be wonderful. But, you know, it's been a pretty awesome run. And [I'm] just trying to, you know, get as much out of it as I can at this point."
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With files from Carolyn Stokes