Canadian Olympic gold medalist Brad Gushue of St. John’s, Newfoundland won the 2024 Montana’s Brier on Sunday from the Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan. Gushue, who represented Team Canada as the defending champion, defeated Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen in the championship final by a score of 9-5.
A major reason for Gushue’s success in the final was his hot start. He had two points in the second end and three points in the fourth end. The difference was the fourth end split which led to three points.
Gushue showed exceptional consistency over the weekend. He shot 93% in the 1-2 page playoff game on Saturday in a 7-3 Canada win over Alberta, and then shot 97% in the final.
This was the sixth Brier title not just for Gushue, but third and Canadian Olympic gold medalist Mark Nichols of Labrador City, Newfoundland, and lead Geoff Walker of Beaverlodge, Alberta as well. Gushue, Nichols and Walker have the most Brier titles ever with six. The only other curler with six Brier titles is Randy Ferbey of Edmonton, Alberta.
The other five Brier titles for Gushue, Nichols and Walker came in 2017 in St. John’s Newfoundland, in 2018 in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 2020 in Kingston, Ontario, in 2022 in Lethbridge, Alberta, and in 2023 in London, Ontario. Next up for Team Canada, which includes Canadian Olympic gold medalist and second E.J. Harnden of Sault. Ste. Marie, Ontario, is the World Men’s Curling Championship in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, which starts March 30. Gushue and Nichols won the gold medal for Canada at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin. Harnden won a gold medal for Canada at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.
