Brad Gushue and the members of his St. John’s rink all hit the ice Thursday for opening-draw play at the 2019 World Financial Group Continental Cup in Las Vegas, but they won’t be together.
The four members of the two-time defending Brier champions will be competing in mixed doubles as Gushue teams up with Lisa Weagle of the Rachel Homan rink; Mark Nichols with defending world women’s champion skip Jennifer Jones; Brett Gallant with Jocelyn Peterman, his long-time mixed doubles partner and a member of the Jones rink; and Geoff Walker with Kaitlyn Lawes, yet another of Jones’s teammates.
The Gushue rink reunites for regular team play Friday night against Bruce Mouat of Scotland.
The Continental Cup format sees Gushue’s and five other teams from North America taking on six rivals from Europe in a four-day competition.
It’s described as curling’s version of the Ryder Cup, with a blend of traditional curling games, mixed team play, skins competition and mixed doubles games. There are also team scrambles, where men’s and women’s teams will be mixed to form new same-gender lineups.
All games are being broadcast by TSN. Thursday’s mixed doubles draws are 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Newfoundland time.
