Spotlight on Gushue at his final Brier

In what will undoubtedly be a week-long celebration of the curling career of Brad Gushue, the 2026 Montana's Brier will almost certainly crown a rink skipped by somebody else.

This year's event is being staged this week in St. John's, NL, where Gushue carries a saint-like aura after an outstanding career as our country's best-ever curler. But his best days are behind him and if he happened to find some magic and lead his team to victory, it would be one of the biggest upsets in Brier history.

The overwhelming favourite to win the Brier is Brad Jacobs, representing Team Canada. Defending Brier champs and recently returned from the Milan-Cortina Olympics where he won the second gold medal of his career, Jacobs is the favourite in Pool A, the weaker of the two. He has Gushue in his pool, along with rinks from Ontario, Saskatchewan's Kelly Knapp and Quebec. That competition will feel like your local curling club's Thursday night men's league schedule for Jacobs after the world-class field he faced in Italy.