Dunstone and Gushue Share the 2026 Brier Stage
March 9, 2026 – It had everything. A hometown legend’s tearful farewell. An Olympic champion defending his crown. A heartbreak kid finally breaking through. The 2026 Montana’s Brier, held February 27 to March 8 at the Mary Brown’s Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, delivered one of the most emotionally charged national men’s curling championships in memory — and produced a champion who had been knocking on the door for years.
When the final stone settled on Sunday evening, Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone had claimed his first Brier Tankard, defeating four-time champion Kevin Koe of Alberta 6-3 in the gold medal game in front of a packed house of 6,201 fans. Total attendance for the week reached 143,100 — the highest since St. John’s last hosted in 2017, when it drew 122,592. The Rock was rocking from start to finish.
Round Robin: Gushue’s Perfect Run and a Week-Long Celebration
Before the playoff drama, the round robin belonged to one man: Brad Gushue.
This was Gushue’s final Brier — his 23rd — and it was played on home ice, with defending champion and Olympic gold medallist Brad Jacobs leading Pool A alongside him. The setup could not have been scripted better for a storybook send-off.
Gushue did not disappoint. Pool A concluded with Newfoundland and Labrador’s Team Gushue going 8-0, winning the all-Brad battle 4-2 over Team Canada to secure Pool A’s No. 1 seed. The Mary Brown’s Centre crowd — 6,000-plus strong most nights — gave Gushue and his rink of third Mark Nichols, second Brendan Bottcher, and lead Geoff Walker a rousing reception with every game.
Jacobs, arriving in St. John’s less than a week after capturing Olympic gold in Milano Cortina, was nonetheless competitive, his team showing flashes of the championship pedigree that had made them the world’s best. Pool play proved to be the perfect game to lose, as Jacobs noted — his side still in the bonspiel, knowing more important contests awaited.
On the other side of the bracket, Alberta’s Kevin Koe, completed by third Tyler Tardi, second/vice-skip Aaron Sluchinski, and lead Karrick Martin, went on an extraordinary unbeaten run. Despite expectations being modest after two disappointing Briers, Koe was dialed in from the start, looking as sharp as ever at 51 years old.
The event also featured notable firsts. It is believed to be the first Brier with a Black skip and a skip of Asian descent, with Jayden King — whose father is from Trinidad and Tobago — skipping Team Ontario, and Cody Tanaka leading Team British Columbia. King’s Ontario squad earned a playoff berth, clinching the third available playoff spot from Pool A with a 9-4 win over Saskatchewan’s Kelly Knapp.
It was also a weekend of farewells beyond Gushue. Quebec’s Jean-Michel Ménard, Martin Crête, and Jean-François Trépanier, as well as Manitoba’s E.J. Harnden, all announced this would be their final Brier.
The Battle of the Brads: One Last Showdown
If the round robin was Gushue’s week, Saturday afternoon was his final chapter — and it unfolded the way only curling can.
Gushue’s Newfoundland and Labrador rink met Brad Jacobs and Team Canada in the Page 3-4 playoff, with elimination on the line. Tied 2-all at the fifth-end break, Gushue was shooting 93 per cent through the first half while the rest of his team averaged 73 per cent, keeping the Rock in it.
Then the pivotal sixth end arrived. A miscue on Gushue’s final stone in the sixth — his sweepers were late — caused his shooter to rub and roll off a Canadian stone. Jacobs nailed the double takeout to guarantee two points, and after a measure added a third to grab a critical 5-2 lead.
Gushue rallied bravely, drawing for a deuce in the seventh to close within one, and forcing Jacobs to single in the eighth. But Jacobs and his squad proved too composed. In the final end, Gushue’s last shot — a hit and roll to the button — was all anyone could have asked for, but Jacobs made no mistake on the runback to secure the point and the victory, 7-5.
During post-game handshakes, Jacobs told Gushue: “Congrats on a great career, you’re the best ever.”
The tribute was fitting from one rival to another. Jacobs reflected that the Battle of the Brads had been a fixture for 15 to 20 years, and that if anyone was going to end Gushue’s week, it felt right that it was them.
Gushue then made a long, solitary walk down the sheet, hand over his heart, acknowledging the standing crowd with tears in his eyes. What followed was a cascade of emotion — hugs from teammates, from family, and finally, a microphone.
“This has been amazing,” Gushue told the crowd. “I think everybody just wants to feel loved and appreciated. And certainly this week, I’ve felt the love and the appreciation from everybody here.”
Iconic and incomparable, Gushue’s career included a record six Brier titles as a skip, Olympic gold and bronze medals, a world championship, and fifteen Grand Slam victories. Longtime third Mark Nichols, who has been by Gushue’s side since their junior days, said the two pushed each other to get better and better throughout their entire careers.
Gushue’s daughters added their own bittersweet chapter to the week. His eldest daughter Hayley won the Canadian university title this season with Memorial University, while his younger daughter Marissa competed in the Grand Slam of Curling’s U15 Jr. GSOC event in the fall. Both were honoured during Brier week in St. John’s — moments Gushue called the true highlights of his time there.
Saturday Night: Koe Grinds Through; Dunstone Drops to Semis
While Gushue was saying goodbye on the afternoon sheet, the evening served up its own drama.
In the Page 1-2 playoff, Alberta’s Koe nailed a marvellous long straight-back raise double-takeout in the 11th end to complete a thrilling 9-7 extra-end victory over Matt Dunstone, booking a direct path to Sunday’s final. Koe’s run had now reached ten consecutive wins at the Montana’s Brier, and he was one win away from a fifth championship.
Dunstone dropped to the semifinal, where he would face a rematch with Team Canada — the team that had beaten his rink in both the 2025 Brier final and the Olympic trials. “We obviously owe them from the last couple of times,” Dunstone said.
Sunday: Dunstone Exacts His Revenge, Then Claims the Tankard
Sunday at the Mary Brown’s Centre was a day in two acts, and Dunstone was the star of both.
In the morning semifinal, Manitoba dismantled Jacobs and Team Canada 7-3, avenging that Olympic trials defeat and sending the reigning champion home. Dunstone then advanced to the championship game for a rematch against Koe — the same man who had beaten him the night before.
The final was taut through the early ends, with three blanks in the first six and Koe holding a narrow 2-1 lead heading into the seventh. Then the game turned. Koe missed a runback hit, and Dunstone recognized his moment, declaring “it’s time to dance.” His first throw was a tap and roll to lie three; Koe’s attempted freeze came up light; and Dunstone’s precise tap pushed Koe’s counter far enough to score three — the first three points Koe had surrendered all tournament — giving Manitoba a 4-2 lead heading into the eighth.
Dunstone scored a pair in the ninth to extend the lead to 6-3, openly celebrating the shot and sensing the title was near. In the tenth, he made a double takeout with his first stone to run Koe out of rocks and claim the championship.
Dunstone’s shooting percentage in the final was 94 per cent to Koe’s 86, and his team shot 90 per cent as a unit to Alberta’s 85.
“This moment feels way more incredible than I ever would have imagined,” said Dunstone. “The heartbreak that this group has had over the last three years, the amount that I’ve learned from that — I played free and loose all week. When you feel the hurt enough times, you don’t really get too scared of it.”
The victory was layered with emotion for the entire Manitoba rink. It was the first Brier title for 30-year-old skip Dunstone and third Colton Lott, who won a Canadian junior championship together a decade earlier. E.J. Harnden claimed his fourth title — a remarkable bookend for a competitor who said this was his final season. His brother Ryan also won a Brier with Jacobs back in 2013.
E.J. Harnden was named tournament MVP and was understandably overcome. “I’m not done yet. That’s amazing,” he said. “I never imagined this being my last Brier, and to win it — this is incredible.”
Dunstone, Lott, E.J. Harnden, and Ryan Harnden will now represent Canada at the World Men’s Curling Championship, scheduled for March 27 to April 4 at the Weber County Ice Sheet in Ogden, Utah.
Final Thoughts
The 2026 Montana’s Brier will be remembered for many things: Gushue’s emotional farewell in his hometown, Jacobs arriving as an Olympic champion and nearly defending his national title, Koe’s stunning unbeaten run, and Dunstone finally breaking through after years of heartbreak.
It was a Brier that honoured the past while delivering a new champion. St. John’s — always one of the sport’s best hosts — gave curling Canada a week it won’t soon forget, and sent its greatest local hero off in the style he deserved.
As for Gushue, his words on that ice said it all: “I’m very lucky, and I’m very fortunate. But I’m also looking forward to something different.”
So are his daughters. Canadian curling’s next chapter is already being written.
