There was no elation in front of a home crowd for Canada’s Brad Gushue this time around.
Drama was minimized Sunday at TD Place as his team’s attempt to follow a national curling crown with a world title was snuffed out in emphatic fashion.
Scotland’s Bruce Mouat was in full control in a 9-3 win that sent him to the top of the world men’s podium for the first time and extended Canada’s golden drought for another year.
“We brought our A-plus game,” Mouat said. “I don’t think we’ve played many better games than that.”
Bruce Mouat leads Scotland to first world championship curling title since 2009
Scotland defeated Canada 9-3 to capture the men’s world curling championship title Sunday in Ottawa.
Mouat started with hammer and scored a deuce in the second end. He added two more points on a steal in the third and never relinquished the lead.
“It was clinical,” said Canada vice Mark Nichols. “They made everything but we didn’t put any pressure on them.”
Gushue, Nichols, second E.J. Harnden and lead Geoff Walker looked set to follow the playbook that worked for them at the Brier.
Just like a few weeks ago in London, Ont., a few round-robin hiccups seemed to be forgotten come playoff time.
Gushue appeared primed to peak again when it mattered most, eliminating defending champ Niklas Edin of Sweden before downing top seed Yannick Schwaller of Switzerland in the semifinal.
But Mouat never let Canada get a sniff. He took the crowd out of it early by delivering a near-flawless performance.
“Even if we did play our best, them having the hammer starting out and then playing the way that they played, it probably wasn’t going to be enough anyway,” Gushue said.
“But I would have liked to have pushed it a little bit more [to] find out.”
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An early four-point deficit put Canada into chase mode.
With Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan in form on the front end and Grant Hardie and Mouat delivering on the back, the Scots refused to ease the pressure.
“They were comfortable the whole time” said Canada coach Caleb Flaxey. “We didn’t make them uncomfortable that game.”
Costly errors
Canada had limited opportunities and a few errors proved costly. Gushue, from St. John’s, was heavy with a draw to the four-foot ring in the third end and his hit-and-roll attempt rolled out in the fifth.
Mouat drew for two to take a 6-1 lead into the mid-game break to the delight of Scottish supporters in a back section of the arena.
Canada scored its first deuce in the sixth end as Scotland played the scoreboard. Mouat went with a hit instead of a riskier double takeout, content to take hammer and a three-point lead into the seventh.
After a blank, Gushue tried a hit and roll but couldn’t quite remove the Scottish stone from the 12-foot ring. Mouat followed with a hit for three and Canada conceded.
“Yesterday we were firing on all cylinders and everything seemed to go our way,” Nichols said. “Today it was just that little bit off. We weren’t bad, we just weren’t perfect and they were pretty much perfect.”
That Curling Show: Reaction from the world men’s curling championship final
Behind the scenes after the world men’s curling championship final in Ottawa, Ont., where Team Mouat from Scotland defeated Team Canada’s Gushue 9-3 in 8 ends.
All four Scottish players shot in the mid-90s. Nichols was at 81 per cent and Gushue shot a game-low 78 per cent.
“We had to take some chances, we took those chances and it didn’t work out for us,” Gushue said. “It was disappointing.”
Canada had the edge in experience, but the youthful Scots — with an average age of just under 29 — boasted big-game moments, too.
Mouat is a world junior champ, world mixed doubles champion and he took Olympic silver last year in Beijing. He finished third at the world men’s playdowns in 2018 and took silver in 2021.
“We’ve had a few tough losses in championship finals,” he said. “We knew what we needed to bring and we brought it. It’s really nice to actually feel like we can do that in a final.”
Earlier in the day, Switzerland defeated Italy’s Joel Retornaz 11-3 for the bronze medal.
Gushue, Nichols and Walker, with Brett Gallant playing second, won gold in their first appearance at this event in 2017 in Edmonton. It was the last time Canada has been on the top of the podium at this competition.
That foursome settled for silver in 2018 and 2022 when they fell to Edin both years in Las Vegas.
Harnden, who joined the Gushue rink after Gallant’s departure last spring, won world silver in 2013 on a team skipped by Brad Jacobs.
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Scotland, as the No. 2 seed, enjoyed a bye before dispatching Italy in a semifinal that went an extra end. It was Scotland’s first world men’s title since 2009 when David Murdoch beat Canada’s Kevin Martin in Moncton.
Announced attendance for the final was 5,604 to bring the overall total to 75,960.
Gushue, the 2006 Olympic champion, will be the Canadian entry at next year’s Brier in Regina. The winner of that event will represent the country at the 2024 world men’s championship in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
