After missing the playoffs in mixed doubles at the Milano-Cortina Olympics, Canadian curler Brett Gallant has joined the four-player men's team led by Brad Jacobs. Gallant, who competed in both disciplines for the first time, described the move as a fresh beginning. The Canadian teams are preparing for upcoming matches in the team curling competition.
Brett Gallant, a curler from Prince Edward Island, has transitioned from mixed doubles to the men's four-player team at the Milano-Cortina Olympics following a 4-5 record with his partner and wife, Jocelyn Peterman. The pair was eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday and ended their round-robin with an 8-4 win over Switzerland on Monday. Gallant reunited with his Calgary-based teammates—skip Brad Jacobs, Marc Kennedy, Ben Hebert, and alternate Tyler Tardi—during a morning training session at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on Wednesday.
"It's kind of a fresh beginning," Gallant said. "So I'm grateful for that." He noted lingering disappointment from the mixed doubles but expressed excitement for the team event, adding, "Mixed feelings in the mind, like there's still some lingering disappointment. But there's also a lot of excitement to hit the ice here. So you know that's going to get better with each day."
The men's team practiced ahead of a night game against Germany's Marc Muskatewitz. Jacobs, a 2014 Olympic gold medalist, praised the Olympic experience: "Sliding on Olympic ice is the absolute best. This is by far the best curling bonspiel in the world. And since we got here and entered the village, we've been smiling ear to ear everywhere we go."
Meanwhile, the Canadian women's team, skipped by Rachel Homan, held an afternoon training session in preparation for Thursday's opener against Denmark's Madeleine Dupont. Homan's rink, including Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, Sarah Wilkes, and alternate Rachelle Brown, is the world's top-ranked team. "I feel like the field is as tough as ever," Homan said. "We've been playing them in the last [Olympic] cycle. We're where we want to be and we're as prepared as we can be."
Coach Heather Nedohin highlighted the team's enthusiasm: "We've been training in Italy for a bit and now we're beyond excited. To slide, get through practice, and get a game going. It was exceptional."
The men's field features defending champion Niklas Edin of Sweden, Bruce Mouat of Great Britain, and others like Italy's Joel Retornaz. In women's play, competitors include Sweden's Anna Hasselborg and Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni. Canada last won team curling gold in 2012 at Sochi. The team competition runs through February 22.
