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ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — There has never been a night like Saturday in the Grand Slam of Curling.

The Kioti National men’s quarterfinals featured the 22nd edition of the “Battle of the Brads” between superstar skips Brad Jacobs and Brad Gushue in the series, but the intensity had never been amped up to this level even when they met in finals. Over 6,000 of Gushue’s fervorous fans had given his team the Taylor Swift treatment packing the Mary Brown’s Centre to full capacity all week long while cheering, shouting, clapping and stomping for their hometown hero.

Jacobs was in hostile territory but in complete control on the ice, holding the all-important hammer in the seventh end and leading 5-4. Facing two Gushue stones, Jacobs called a timeout to decide whether to score one and hold a two-point lead or give up a steal to tie the game but keep last-rock advantage coming home. The rest of the Calgary-based club deferred to their skip, and Jacobs opted for the latter.

The silence of the Mary Brown’s Centre erupted into a chorus of boos and Jacobs was loving it. Jacobs raised his arms and twirled his finger in the air to rile up the crowd as he slid down to the other end of the sheet.

The jeers rained down hard on Jacobs during every shot his team threw in the eighth end while Gushue received a standing ovation as he delivered his last rock into the house. Jacobs kept the house clean though and just needed an open hit and stick to win 6-5 and advance to the evening semifinals.

This doesn’t normally happen in curling. There are no heroes and villains, faces and heels. This was cinema and answered the Gladiator question: yes, they were entertained.

So too were the curlers.

“First of all, we all loved it,” Jacobs said. “There were a lot of apologies from a lot of people. A lot of people actually felt like it was uncalled for but you know what? Curling needs more of that.

“In any other sport out there, there’s a team that people want to win and there’s the villain and I know we’re both Brads, the Battle of the Brads for how many years now? Well over a decade. We embrace that. That’s good theatre, that’s good TV, that’s good for the sport and that makes it worth it for all of those bums in those seats.

“I also thought to myself, if any individual can reach a point in their life where they’re in an arena and they’re booed by 6,000-plus people, they’re probably doing something right in their life. We embraced it. I know that we rained on the parade a little bit but they get a lot of rain out here, so they’re used to it, right?”

Gushue had been on the other side of it when he curled at the 2006 Olympics in Italy and believes the sport needs more of it.

“I know there are going to be some people out there that are probably not going to like it. Personally, I love it,” Gushue said. “I thought it was great. I think we need more excitement. We need the fans to get into it. I thought Brad handled it really well. You know what? He’s the right person for that because that probably motivates him, but I think he understood it. I think he wants that energy from the crowd and I think the crowd was amazing this week.

“I think anybody that talks against it, I’d tell them to grow up and move on. It’s the way sport is and it’s the way curling needs to go. We’ve had this ritual of that’s not appropriate, but it’s done in every sport. If you support a team, support them and I certainly appreciate the way the fans supported us this week.”

Scotland’s Bruce Mouat, who will meet Jacobs in Sunday’s final, had a front-row seat to all of the action and drama and loved it as well.

“I think we need more of it in curling,” Mouat said. “How passionate the people in St. John’s are is really nice to see. They’re clapping for us Scots as well, so it’s not like it’s all bad for us. We’re really enjoying ourselves here. The hospitality has been amazing.”

Mike McEwen felt it earlier when he faced Gushue on Thursday night during round-robin play. His Saskatoon-based team played it up as the green-and-black attack entered the rink to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s theme, Colton Flasch draped himself in a Saskatchewan flag, McEwen cupped his hand to his ear, and twins Kevin and Dan Marsh raised and banged their ugly sticks decorated in Saskatchewan green.

“We did a bit of planning and wanted to kinda come out as the bad boys,” McEwen said with a smile after winning the game 4-3. “Team Gushue were good sports. They knew we were going to do something a little fun. We’ve got to do more of that. There are tons of rivalries out here and obviously, Brad and us have a pretty good one going on.

“Hey, if we go back to Saskatchewan for a Slam, they can come out to something to taunt us.”

Ottawa skip Rachel Homan, who will face Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg in the women’s final, called it “unreal” and felt the energy in the building was next level.

“I think everything’s good,” Homan said. “I think getting that energy in the building, both teams loved it. Jacobs is egging them on and just having a great time with it. Curling needs more of that and hopefully, it just continues.”

Hasselborg also shared those sentiments.

“It’s insane,” Hasselborg said. “I think I speak for every curler, it’s the dream. It’s definitely the dream.”

“To be honest, if we want crowds to be here and we want to have this kind of support and this kind of energy, they can do whatever they like,” she added. “Just keep going, keep shouting, keep clapping, keep feeling emotions. Sports is about emotions, so just go.”

As Gushue received another standing O while he left the ice, the crowd gave a round of applause to Jacobs — just as they had for every curler all week long.

“This has been probably the best Grand Slam we’ve ever played in as curling athletes,” Jacobs said. “The main reason for that is all of the fans and all of the volunteers. You see all of the orange jackets, all the people volunteering, putting this thing on, and you see so many bums in seats in this arena. As curling athletes from all around the world, what we aspire to play in is full arenas and it’s been awesome.”