Trent Skanes was the third on Matt Blandford’s rink which downed Gushue 8-7 in an extra end on Feb. 4, 2010 during round-robin play in the Tankard provincial men’s curling championship at Bally Haly Golf and Curling Club.
A Gushue-skipped rink hasn’t lost since at the provincials — fashioning a streak of 40 straight wins in round-robin and playoff games.
Skanes is skipping his own rink at the 2017 Tankard, which begins today at Bally Haly, and won’t have to wait long to find out if he can regenerate some of that magic of seven years ago as he and Gushue square off in Draw 2 play tonight.
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It’s worth noting that Skanes’ rink includes second Jeff Rose, who was a member of the last rink not led by Gushue to win a Tankard title. Rose was a part of the Ken Peddigrew rink which captured the provincial championship in 2006.
Mind you, Gushue didn’t compete that year as he was in Torino, Italy winning an Olympic gold medal. Other than that, Gushue has skipped the Tankard winner every year since 2003.
It’s also noteworthy that Gushue, Skanes, Rose and Mark Nichols, Gushue’s long-time third, are the only curlers who participated in the 2010 Tankard who are entered to play in the provincials this year. Rose was still with Peddigrew seven years ago.
It’s an indication of the turnover rate that can exist in competitive curling.
Another is the fact that if Gushue, Nichols, second Brett Gallant and lead Geoff Walker defend their crown at Bally Haly this week, it will mark the first time that Gushue will have won three provincials with the same lineup.
Over the years, Mark Ward, Jamie Korab, Keith Ryan, Chris Schille, Dave Noftall, Ryan Fry, Jamie Danbrook and Adam Casey have also been part of teams that have helped Gushue win 10 straight Tankards and 13 in all.
As well, Mike Adam and Russ Howard were part of Gushue’s Olympic winners.
At stake in the men’s competition at Bally Haly is a berth in the Brier Canadian championship, to be held at Mile One Centre in St. John’s in March.
Also beginning at Bally Haly today is the Scotties provincial ladies’ championship.
It too, features five rinks, including those skipped by defending champion Stacie Curtis and 13-time Scotties champ Heather Strong.
Strong, by the way, can tell you about those roster turnovers in curling. She’s used more than a dozen different players in winning her titles since 1998, and this year has a rink that features two members — Stephanie Guzzwell and Sarah Day — who weren’t with her in 2015 when she last won provincial laurels.
All 10 teams in the provincial championships are from St. John’s and all curl out of the Re/Max Centre, except for Gushue, who calls Bally Haly home.
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PROVINCIAL CURLING CHAMPIONS SINCE 2000
Skip (third, second, lead)
Tankard men’s champions
2016: Brad Gushue (Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, Geoff Walker)
2015: Brad Gushue (Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, Geoff Walker)
2014: Brad Gushue (Brett Gallant, Adam Casey, Geoff Walker)
2013: Brad Gushue (Brett Gallant, Adam Casey, Geoff Walker)
2012: Brad Gushue (Ryan Fry, Adam Casey, Geoff Walker)
2011: Brad Gushue (Mark Nichols, Ryan Fry, Jamie Danbrook)
2010: Brad Gushue (Mark Nichols, Ryan Fry, Jamie Korab)
2009: Brad Gushue (Mark Nichols, Ryan Fry, Jamie Korab)
2008: Brad Gushue (Mark Nichols, Chris Schille, Dave Noftall)
2007: Brad Gushue (Mark Nichols, Chris Schille, Jamie Korab)
2006: Ken Peddigrew (Ryan Ledrew, Jeff Rose, Keith Jewer)
2005: Brad Gushue (Mark Nichols, Keith Ryan, Jamie Korab)
2004: Brad Gushue (Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab, Mark Ward)
2003: Brad Gushue (Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab, Mark Ward)
2002: Mark Noseworthy (Bill Jenkins, Randy Turpin, Ian Kerr)
2001: Keith Ryan (Garry Pinsent, Mike Ryan, Dennis Langdon)
2000: Rick Rowsell (Peter Hollett, Ken Ellis Jr., Craig Dowden)
Scotties women’s champions
2016: Stacie Curtis (Erin Porter, Julie Devereaux, Carrie Vautour)
2015: Heather Strong (Stephanie Korab, Jessica Cunningham, Kathryn Cooper)
2014: Heather Strong (Laura Strong, Jessica Cunningham, Kathryn Cooper)
2013: Stacie Devereaux (Erin Porter, Lauren Wasylkiw, Heather Martin)
2012: Heather Strong (Laura Strong, Jenn Cunningham, Stephanie Korab)
2011: Stacie Devereaux (Stephanie Guzwell, Sarah Paul, Heather Martin)
2010: Shelley Nichols (Steph Ledrew, Rhonda Rogers, Collette Lemon)
2009: Heather Strong (Cathy Cunningham, Laura Strong, Peg Goss)
2008: Heather Strong (Cathy Cunningham, Laura Strong, Peg Goss)
2007: Heather Strong (Shelley Nichols, Laura Strong, Susan O’Leary)
2006: Heather Strong (Shelley Nichols, Laura Strong, Susan O’Leary)
2005: Heather Strong (Laura Strong, Beth Hamilton, Susan O’Leary)
2004: Cathy Cunningham (Peg Goss, Kathy Kerr, Heather Martin)
2003: Cathy Cunningham (Peg Goss, Kathy Kerr, Heather Martin)
2002: Cathy Cunningham (Peg Goss, Kathy Kerr, Heather Martin)
2001: Heather Strong (Laura Strong, Susan O’Leary, Michele Baker)
2000: Heather Strong (Kelli Sharpe, Susan Wright, Michele Renouf)
