Brad Gushue remained undefeated at the 2026 Montana's Brier with an 8-5 victory over fellow Newfoundland and Labrador curler Nathan Young in St. John's on Monday evening. The match pitted two generations against each other, drawing a sellout crowd to the Mary Brown's Centre. Gushue, competing in his final Brier before retirement, improved to 4-0 in Pool A.
The 2026 Montana's Brier, the Canadian men's curling championship, continued in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, with an anticipated matchup between Team Gushue and Team Young on March 2. The game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. NT, attracted fans who began lining up by 6 p.m., leading to another sellout of over 6,000 spectators.
Team Gushue, skipped by six-time Brier champion Brad Gushue, entered the evening draw at 3-0 after earlier results. Team Young, led by Nathan Young, stood at 2-2 following a morning loss to Nova Scotia's Kendal Thompson by 11-2. Young had qualified for the tournament by winning the provincial championship, while Gushue earned a pre-qualification berth through points from the previous season.
The contest ended in nine ends with Gushue securing an 8-5 win, maintaining his perfect record and matching defending champion Brad Jacobs at 4-0 in Pool A. Young slipped to 2-3. Ahead of the tournament, Young described the opportunity to face Gushue as emotional, stating, "It's going to be very emotional for us, but I mean these are … curlers that we look up to every day for inspiration, on preparation and hard work and focus on the ice." He added, "It's going to be very cool."
For Gushue, the victory added to the sentiment surrounding his announced retirement at the end of the competitive season. He reflected, "It's been a big event for me for the last 25 years of my life. If this one is the last one, it's going to be pretty emotional."
The Brier features 18 teams divided into two pools, with the top three from each advancing to playoffs. Other evening results included Quebec's Jean-Michel Ménard defeating Nova Scotia's Thompson 8-5 to reach 3-1, and Prince Edward Island's Tyler Smith edging Saskatchewan's Kelly Knapp 8-6.
