castle. JOHN’S, NL — Brad Gushue’s Brier is over. An incomparable career ended three wins short of a fairytale finish on home ice.
And leave it to his longtime rival, Olympic and national champion Brad Jacobs, to hand Gushue his final loss and eliminate his hometown team from contention with a 7-5 win.
On Saturday afternoon, Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brendan Bottcher and Geoff Walker lost a three-quarter-page playoff game to Jacobs’ Team Canada in front of a sold-out Mary Brown’s Center crowd. More than 6,000 fans witnessed the end of an incredible era in the sport.
Gushue, 45, is retiring after winning everything one needs to win: a record six Brier titles, an Olympic gold medal in 2006, a bronze medal in the 2022 Olympics, the 2017 World Championships and 15 Grand Slam titles.
Not only does Gushue’s career end at home, it ends in the same building where he won his first national title in 2017. Gushue won his first Tankard at the age of 14.Day Try it more than a decade after he won an Olympic gold medal.
This 2026 Montana’s Brier was Gushue’s 23rd.rd And Skip took his time soaking in the crowd. Because he knew this could be the last time he gets his hometown fans on their feet. After a double takeout in the second end, Gushue pumped his fists and looked around the stadium with a smile on his face to watch his fans lose.
After Gushue completed a stunning runback double in the fifth end, Jacobs asked, “Why is he retiring?” Gushue then got the button down for two to tie the game 2-2 at the break.
But the momentum ended later and Gushue was chased. Gushue, who had been a perfect draw all game, rubbed his guard at the end and left Jacobs with at least a pair of takeaways. Captain of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, scored three points with a shot left to take a 5-2 lead.
Gushue responded with a pair of seven-pointers to cut Canada’s lead to one, while Jacobs had a hit on eight runs but failed to convert more than one point in nine attempts. That was because Canada’s third man, Marc Kennedy, had a clutch hit and roll.
After settling for a single, Gushue needed to steal 2-of-10 for the win, but fell short.
Less than two weeks after winning Olympic gold for Canada, Jacobs, Kennedy, Brett Gallant and Ben Herbert have now advanced to the semifinals. They will face the losers of Alberta’s Kevin Koe and Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone, who play later Saturday. The winner of that game will advance directly to the finals on Sunday night.
Unlike in this very building nine years ago, the final will not feature Gushue and his team Newfoundland and Labrador. But today was approaching Gushue’s last day and St. Everyone at St. John’s was getting ready to say goodbye. Signs were hung around the city with a picture of the captain pumping his fist with the words “Farewell to the Champions.”
