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Brendan Bottcher had intended to spend this season playing mixed doubles with Rachel Homan and coaching her women’s team.

Plans changed.

Bottcher was announced as the new second for Brad Gushue’s team on Tuesday, less than a week after the St. John’s, N.L., club had parted ways with E.J. Harnden.

The five-time Grand Slam of Curling champion Bottcher appeared on The Broom Brothers podcast with John Cullen and Robbie Doherty on Wednesday to discuss his decision to end his brief hiatus from men’s curling and join Team Gushue.

“I think when Brad reached out and we started talking, really talking about how it could work and what it would look like, I think that got me excited because it just feels like the right fit,” Bottcher said. “It feels like something that can be successful, and I’m just looking forward to getting out there with them.”

Although Bottcher felt “immediate excitement” when he got the call asking if he was interested, it was after further discussions with not only Gushue but also the other members of the team — third Mark Nichols and lead Geoff Walker — plus all of them chatting together that they felt it was the right direction for everyone.

“There was some really good time spent over the Thanksgiving weekend making sure that this was going to be a good fit because the worst thing for all of us actually would be to go out on the ice and have it be mediocre or them having gone through this huge kind of wrinkle in their team dynamic and not to end in a spot that they were comfortable with,” Bottcher said.

“I think that was good for everyone. I think actually once we got to ‘yes’ it was just an obvious ‘yes’ for everyone. We had talked about a lot of really good things, a lot of deep things. I think there was really good reflection done on all sides and everyone was excited to move forward.”

Bottcher spent the past two years playing with third Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant and lead Ben Hebert. Although they finished this past season ranked fourth in the world, and second in Canada, the trio opted to move in a different direction and linked up with skip Brad Jacobs.

The 2021 Brier champion Bottcher believed he needed time to figure out what he wanted to do next in curling for the right reasons.

“I didn’t want to just reflexively play with the first team that called me because I had to play or I had something to prove or I was scared about not playing or I was scared for a whole host of reasons,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that I was: A) excited, like truly excited for the opportunity, and B) that I was doing it with the intent of how is this going to progress me as a curler? What new skills? What new things can I learn? How I can be of value? What guys can I surround myself with that I want to play with moving forward?

“When I looked at it through that lens, I kind of got to … this might not be the worst opportunity for me to take a little bit of time. That was followed up with a couple of incredible opportunities I had come at me as well, so that made it a little bit easier to transition into a little bit more time on the bench, a little bit less time on the ice and that ended a little bit shorter than I would have thought. The timing isn’t always perfect, it sometimes happens for a reason, and I’m just happy I’m where I’m at today.”

The big question everyone had when the news dropped was: Can Bottcher sweep? While he has some experience from mixed doubles, playing second on Team Gushue will require him to sweep more than ever.

Bottcher is up for the challenge as he feels it will help him become a better all-around curler plus having himself, Walker and coach Jeff Hoffart all live in the Edmonton area will allow them to practise together.

“We can put a pile of meaningful practice minutes together and sweep a lot of rocks. I think we can make up some ground,” Bottcher said. “Does that mean it’s going to be seamless? Probably not, but I’m going to make as many shots from the hack as I possibly can for the boys. I’m going to be a great teammate. I’m going to help them make as many shots as I can and we’ll learn, build and grow together, I’m sure.”

The Grand Slam of Curling tour will swing through both of their backyards with the Co-op Canadian Open set to take place Nov. 5-10 at the Silent Ice Center in Nisku, Alberta — just outside of Edmonton — followed by the KIOTI National, Nov. 26 to Dec. 1, at the Mary Brown’s Centre in St. John’s.

“I will say it doesn’t seem to matter where Brad goes in this country it feels like his backyard, which is special,” Bottcher said. “I think it speaks to kind of the Canadiana vibe that their team has, the legacy that they’ve built over decades of playing together and being successful, I just think is incredible. It will obviously be great for me to be at home with lots of my friends and family and one of my first big events with the guys will have lots of support.

“I’ll circle around. The first game I ever played at a Brier was at the Brier in St. John’s. The first game of that first Brier was against Brad. That will be a moment that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. It was just absolutely incredible. What the fan base has for him is truly special.”

The Broom Brothers podcast drops every two weeks on YouTube, Apple and Spotify.