Canadian Olympian Brad Gushue of St. John’s, Newfoundland, won the 2024 Montana’s Brier on Sunday at the Brandt Center in Regina, Saskatchewan. Gushue, who represented Team Canada as the defending champion, defeated Mike McEwen of Saskatchewan 9-5 in the championship final.
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 split in the fourth end that resulted in three points.
Gushue showed exceptional consistency over the weekend. He shot 93% in Canada’s 7-3 win over Alberta in Saturday’s 1-2 playoff game and then 97% in the final.
This was not only the sixth Brier title for Gushue, but also for third and Canadian Olympian Mark Nichols of Labrador City, Newfoundland, and leader Geoff Walker of Beaverlodge, Alberta. 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, 2018 in Regina, Saskatchewan, 2020 in Kingston, Ontario, 2022 in Lethbridge, Alberta, and 2023 in London, Ontario. Next up is Team Canada, which includes Canadian Olympic gold medalist and runner-up EJ Harnden of Sault. Ste. Marie, Ontario, is the Men’s World Curling Championships in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, beginning March 30. Gushue and Nichols won the gold medal for Canada 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Harnden won a gold medal for Canada 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
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