Gushue reuniting with Nichols next season
Brad Gushue is reuniting with Olympic teammate Mark Nichols.
Gushue, from St. John’s, N.L., announced his new lineup for next season on Monday, a day after the year-ending Grand Slam of Curling Players’ Championship event.
Nichols will be back at his familiar third position after playing two seasons at the front-end in Winnipeg with Jeff Stoughton’s rink. Gushue will retain Brett Gallant, who shifts from third to second, and lead Geoff Walker while Adam Casey will not be returning.
“I am very pleased to announce the return of Mark Nichols to our team,” Gushue said in a media release. “It will be great to be teammates once again, as Mark brings experience and talent that will certainly benefit our team as a whole.”
Nichols played with Gushue from 1998 to 2011 and won Canadian and world junior championships in 2001. Along with Russ Howard, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam, they won the Olympic gold medal at the 2006 Turin Games. Nichols played a key part in the final, nailing an incredible runback that set up a score of six in the sixth end against Finland en route to the gold.
“I am looking forward to joining Team Gushue,” Nichols added in the release. “I’m excited to be returning home, and excited to help the guys achieve our goal of winning a Brier and return to the Olympics. They have shown they are a world class team and I hope to build on the success they have had over the last three years.”