Canadian curling icon and St. John’s Native Brad Gushue announced Wednesday that at the conclusion of the 2025-26 Curling season he will retire.
Gushue, 45, is the most decorated skip in Canadian men’s curling history. Along with his teammates Marc Nichols and Geoff Walker, Gushue has won the Brier a record six times, the most all time for any skip.
His most memorable Brier win came in St. John’s back in 2017, when he won his first Brier after over a decade of trying. Representing Newfoundland and Labrador, Gushue and his team faced off against defending champions Team Canada, skipped by Kevin Koe. It was a nail biting victory, coming down to a wild last shot:
He would go on to win the Brier again in 2018 and 2020, before winning it three years in a row from 2022-2024.
Aside from his Brier accolades, Gushue has gone to the Winter Olympics on two occasions, winning a gold medal in 2006 in Milan, Italy and winning a bronze medal in 2022 in Beijing, China. He was joined by Nichols in both of his Olympic appearances.
Gushue has also represented Canada at the Men’s World Curling Championship’s on multiple occasions, winning gold once in 2017.
Because of Gushue’s long list of accolades, he feels confident in his decision to retire now, saying “years ago, I created a list of goals I wanted to achieve, and I feel like I’m among the lucky few who can say they’ve achieved them. That’s given me the confidence to make this decision now, to leave on a high note with no regrets, no challenge left unanswered and no expectation unmet.”
Family also played a big factor in Gushue’s decision to retire. “My wife and daughters are important to me, and I’ve missed enough milestones to know I don’t want to miss anymore.”
As for what’s next for Gushue? Well, there is still a full season of curling ahead, and it is a big one. The first Grand Slam of Curling event of the season is set to begin on Tuesday, before the Montana’s Olympic Curling Trials are set to take place in late November, where Gushue and his teammate Marc Nichols will look to make their third Olympic appearance.
Aside from a potential spot in the Olympics, there is also the 2026 Montana’s Brier taking place in March, which is the marquee event on the Men’s Curling calendar and will be held here in St. John’s.
Brad Gushue has had a remarkable career with nothing left to prove. It should be an exciting year of curling this season, and hopefully we see a few more big moments from him and his team.