castle. JOHN’S, NL — More than 6,000 fans rose to their feet, cheered, rang cowbells and sang along to the classic Newfoundland song Heave Away — I’m happy, go away! — Brad Gushue holds a broom in the air while sliding down the ice laughing.
After Gushue and his team Newfoundland and Labrador rallied to a 4-2 win over Team Canada’s Brad Jacobs, the scene looked, felt and sounded like Tankard was lining up at the Brier on Sunday night.
But with the finals still three days away, the game that rocked the Mary Brown Center was about to decide the winner of Group A, even if it looked much bigger.
“I’ve been to a lot of Brier finals,” said Gushue, who has a record six career wins. “But this Thursday afternoon’s game at St. John’s is better than many Brier finals.”
“The atmosphere was like the playoffs.” Mark Nichols, third on the Newfoundland team, added with a laugh: “It was really fun.”
In this match between the two teams who were undefeated in Pool A, the crowd was buzzing even before the first stone was thrown. After Gushue threw Team Canada’s final pitch, the building absolutely boiled over. They took out a pair of Team Canada wins over Jacobs, Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant and Ben Hebert. Canada won Olympic gold in the country less than two weeks later.
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“They played really great,” said Jacobs, whose four-game winning streak against Gushue ended Thursday on the Rock. “We’ve had a lot of their numbers here over the last few years, and I think it’s the best we’ve seen. It’s good for the fans and it’s good for them.”
Captain of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, is among those fans, adding: very noisy.”
It was the perfect setting for an amazing 68.Day A career meeting between the skips and this could be the final Brad battle unless these teams meet again in the playoffs (and there’s a very good chance they will meet again). What is certain is that the 45-year-old Gushue is retiring after this season after an unparalleled career that included winning the most Brier titles of any skip and an Olympic gold medal 20 years ago.
In this win, Gushue noted that he “didn’t feel like young Brad,” but added, “I played like young Brad.”
“Today was playoff Brad,” said Nichols, who, like Gushue, is looking for a surprising seventh Brier title. “It’s as if he so Okay, if you don’t pay me a penny, I can do what he does best.”
Gushue earned the win by curling a game-high 95% of his curls. Not only has his team of Nichols, Brendan Bottcher and Geoff Walker secured top spot in Group A, but it also means they start with the hammer in Friday’s play-off opener against the second-placed team in Group B, to be decided later on Thursday. Meanwhile, Jacobs and Team Alberta begin the playoffs against the top-place team in Pool B.
“We wanted to show our best today,” Gushue said. “I thought we played a very good game and were in control from start to finish. There was no feeling that we were in control at all. You know, it was a good game. I think it was textbook. We were even at the end and never gave up the lead.”
Gushue hasn’t scored a deuce against Team Jacobs since the PointsBet Invitational last October. When the St. John’s skipper got the pair on at number nine (the first and only multi-run end, set up after a beautiful double takeout in the first and an easy hit in the last), the fans were on their feet, cheering, clapping and singing along. far, Thursday afternoon was not the last.
Another Newfoundland classic gave them a 4-2 lead before the 10-end break. Islander, A loud sound came from the stadium speakers.
“It was emotional,” Nichols said when he heard the song play. “It was a good thing I had 90 seconds to recover and wait in between. I got Jeff’s shot and Brendan’s shot and just calmed down before I did my shot.”
Gushue also became “a little emotional” after hearing this. Islander. “Of course, I think it’s important to have those moments during down times.” “Especially the last time we played at home,” he said.
The passion of Newfoundland curling fans can be felt as well as heard. Ice technician Greg Ewasko pointed out that when Gushue plays, the temperature in the arena is about 7 to 9 degrees warmer than during draws when his team is not involved. That’s because of the sellout crowds and all the things fans do when they get more and often more excited when they cheer on their hometown team. No matter how much Ewasko turns on the air conditioning and takes steps to cool the place, it gets hot inside.
And on Thursday there was some clinical curling here to cheer between two heavyweight teams and their world-class skippers. The game featured a hard-earned single and a gap before Gushue tied the game in the ninth end.
Jacobs’ Canadian team may be low on energy after less than two weeks of Olympic experience and a gold medal, but “they feel good enough to win,” Skip noted.
“I’d say we’re saving a little bit for the weekend,” Jacobs added. “The reality for our team is this: We’ll win this week and go home and be happy. Or we’ll lose this week and go home and be happy.”
Gushue is scheduled to take a short trip home after the Brier, which could be his last time in action. The only way otherwise is if they win and get a chance to extend Gushue’s fairytale career by representing Canada at the World Championships later this month.
One thing is certain. The Newfoundland and Labrador team will enjoy a hometown crowd, whether Saturday or Sunday, until Gushue throws the final stone in his 23rd and final Brier.
“I don’t know how many more cheers we’ve gotten, but we’re going to enjoy every single one of them,” Nichols said of the fans.
“It’s better than any energy they play (in front of) anywhere,” Gushue added with a laugh. “This crowd is amazing.”
