Longtime skip Brendan Bottcher will be wearing Canada colours when he makes his return to the four-player game with Team Gushue at the upcoming Pan Continental curling championship.
Bottcher is the new second for the St. John's, N.L.-based team, which parted ways with E.J. Harnden earlier this month.
"I'm excited to get out there at the Pan Continental," Bottcher said. "I'm excited to be a part of the team and I'm excited to get moving. I think the team just has all the upside in the world."
The weeklong competition begins Sunday in Lacombe, Alta. The event serves as the Americas and Pacific-Asia zone qualifier for the world championships.
Skip Brad Gushue, vice Mark Nichols and lead Geoff Walker surprised many curling observers with their in-season lineup change.
Harnden is considered one of the best sweepers in the game and helped them win back-to-back national men's titles. Bottcher, meanwhile, who won a Brier in 2021, is an elite shotmaker but has little sweeping experience.
It's a roll of the dice that Gushue's side was comfortable with as the third-ranked team looks to build toward the Canadian Curling Trials in just over a year.
"Our goal and our hope is that we're going to be playing in big games, whether it's at the Brier or at the trials and hopefully at the worlds and the Olympics," Gushue said in a recent interview. "Playing in those big games is an adjustment for a lot of players. Brendan has been there and done that and has a ton of experience.
"Certainly when we get into those big games as we move forward, he's not going to be star-struck or a deer in the headlights. He's going to be ready to play and that's something that we felt was important too for the goals that we have for this team."
It's an ideal event for Bottcher to make his Team Gushue debut as there will be little pressure. Canada has already secured a berth in the world championship as host of the March 29-April 6 playdowns in Moose Jaw, Sask.
Rachel Homan's top-ranked team from Ottawa will represent Canada in women's play. South Korea gets the automatic berth as host of the 2025 women's world championship.
Bottcher coached the Homan side earlier this season but stepped away from those duties when he joined Team Gushue. He will continue to play mixed doubles with Homan.
The top four teams in each draw will qualify their respective member association for the worlds. If a host team finishes in the top four, the fifth-place team will secure the qualification spot.
China, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Taiwan and the United States round out the women's field. The men's draw also includes Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan and the U.S.
Gushue won this event last year in Kelowna, B.C., while Canada's Kerri Einarson settled for a fourth-place finish after falling to American Tabitha Peterson in the bronze-medal game.
Gushue went on to take silver at the world championship. Homan won the national title last season and also took the world crown.
Gushue made headlines at this event a year ago when he sounded off on the World Curling Federation over a long list of complaints that left him questioning whether he'd return.
He said men's and women's curlers had to share locker-room space, athletes were forced to warm up outdoors due to limited indoor space, and teams weren't allowed to watch practice sessions — a first for him in his 30 years in the game.
Gushue said he later engaged in "good discussions" with WCF board members and noted that things improved significantly at the world championship.
"I think it's going to be run better than it was last season, that's for sure," Gushue said.
TSN also dropped its television coverage of the competition mid-week last year and moved it to streaming-only options via its app and website. A spokesperson for the network — which used a WCF feed for its broadcasts — said at the time that technical and feed issues were to blame.
There is no domestic TV broadcaster for this year's competition. Streaming options are available for purchase via the Curling Channel with select matchups featuring commentary.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2024.
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Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
