Team Gushue and Team Jones heading to Beijing 2022 after winning Canada curling trials

“I didn’t get him a present,” said Canada curling skip Brad Gushue of team-mate Geoff Walker who turned 37 on Sunday (28 November). “I told him this was the best present I could give him. And the best present he could give me for his birthday.”

The present Gushue is talking about is their four-man team winning the Canadian curling trials and with it, a place at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, which start 4 February.

Team Gushue, which also comprises vice-skip Mark Nichols, second Brett Gallant and alternate Jeff Thomas, beat the Sochi 2014 gold-medal winning skip Brad Jacobs in a game that went to the ninth end.

“Boy oh boy did we play good,” said Gushue who skipped the Canadian team that won Olympic gold in 2006 in Turin, Italy in a team that included Nichols, Russ Howard and Jamie Korab. “I thought we managed the game.”

“The special part is Brett and Geoff now get that opportunity,” said Gushue. “They’ve been two of the best players in the world and have stories from myself and Mark for years and now they’ll get to develop their own memories.”

It was a devastating loss for Jacobs and his team, which consists of third Marc Kennedy, second E J Harnden, and lead Ryan Harnden. They were looking for a return to the Olympics and another shot at gold. Jacobs and the Harnden brothers were team-mates at Sochi 2014.

“We didn’t have our best tonight, definitely could have played a bit better as a team,” said Jacobs. “It was hard to get anything going, even energy wise. Not our best and as a result not the outcome we wanted. Like I said yesterday, we needed to be near perfect today to win this game and we weren’t.

“But the Gushue team is one heck of a team and Canada has a great representative. Hats off to them they played great today and well deserved.”

Meanwhile, in the women’s final on Sunday, Team Jennifer Jones needed an extra end steal to win the trials and book their place at Beijing 2022. The hard-fought 6-5 victory over world number ones Team Fleury meant it was a return to the Olympic Winter Games for the skip of the team who made it a double gold for Canada in the men’s and women’s curling tournaments at Sochi 2014.

“It was a dream come true to get to do this twice,” Jones said of getting back to the Olympics. “It’s such a privilege to do it with these girls. We’ve had our ups and downs and worked our butts off, just to see what we can do on the ice and to support each other. It’s just phenomenal.” 

Jones is joined by vice-skip Kaitlyn Lawes, second Jocelyn Peterman, and leads Dawn McEwen and Lisa Weagle on the flight to the People’s Republic of China.

Team Fleury, which includes vice-skip Selena Njegovan, second Liz Fyfe, lead Kristin MacCuish and alternate Chelsea Carey were disappointed to lose such a closely fought tie.

“We thought we had lost in the tenth for sure. Jen makes that 99 per cent of the time that shot, so lucky to go to an extra,” said Fleury.

The winners will represent Canada in the four-person team competition at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China, 4-20 February.