Canadian Olympic gold medalist Brad Gushue of St. John’s, Newfoundland won the 2024 Players’ Championship in Toronto on Sunday. For Gushue, who won the gold medal in men’s curling at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, he has now won 15 Grand Slam of Curling events.
In Sunday’s final, Gushue defeated Joel Retornaz of Italy in the final by the score of 7-6. Prior to Gushue’s final stone he was facing three Italian stones that were biting the four foot. Gushue scored his game-winning point by drawing to the button. His final stone did brush off an Italian stone but stopped in time to record the winning point.
In Toronto this past week, Gushue finished tied for second place in Pool B with a record of three wins and two losses. He defeated Niklas Edin of Sweden 6-5, Canadian Olympic gold medalist Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario 8-5, and Kevin Koe of Calgary, Alberta 6-1 in Pool B action. Then in the playoffs Gushue beat Ross Whyte of Scotland 6-5 in the quarterfinals and Bruce Mouat of Scotland 6-5 in the semifinals. Jacobs won the gold medal for Canada in men’s curling at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.
This was Gushue’s second Players’ Championship. He previously won in 2016. Gushue also won the 2017 Tour Challenge, the 2009, 2015, 2021 and 2022 National, the 2014 and 2017 Masters, the 2015 and 2017 Canadian Opens, the 2018 and 2022 Champions Cups and the 2016 and 2019 Elite 10.
