Creator/Host of Broomgate: A Curling Scandal (link below) | Former Lead and Current Commentator | Writer of Curling's Most Dangerous Newsletter | He/Him xoxo
Episode 3 of Broomgate is OUT NOW! We flew to St. John's to talk to Brad Gushue about discovering what the Hardline broom could do, and how they went about showing the world their findings, sending the sport into chaos. Brad is so good in this! Listen!
Jennifer Jones said she’s sorry to Canada but my personal view is that when Canadian curlers lose international competitions they don’t need to apologize for anything
Stats aren’t everything but Brad Gushue throwing 93 and 94% on a playoff Sunday with one sweeper to win is just incredible. A performance with literally no equal
Have you ever seen a skip make a shot so lucky they apologize to the camera? I hadn’t until today and this number from Emily Bowles in the BC U21 championships
SPLIT DECISION
The difference of the
#WWCC2024
final came in the ninth end when
@TeamHoman
made a split for three to give them a two point advantage heading to the 10th.
Relive it here ⬇️⬇️⬇️
If I’m Curling Canada, I strap the promotional rocket to Matty D. Young, bold, plays the game with his heart on his sleeve, speaks his mind, and one hell of a shotmaker
Rachel Homan. Not a whole lot else you can say. They’ve unlocked something with this lineup and this is as good as she’s ever shot. A joy to watch.
And you have to feel amazing for Tracy Fleury, one of the best people in the sport and getting her well-deserved first Scotties
It’s always tough to say it in a non-Olympic year but it is possible we are now officially bearing witness to the best women’s curling season of all-time
You’re not going to find anyone with a bad word to say about Thomas Ulsrud. Great guy and an amazing player. Plus let’s face it: handsome as all hell. May he rest easy.
Is this one of the best storyline Brier finals ever?
Gushue winning with 3 after just returning from the Olympics would be one of the most impressive Ws of the 21st century
Koe has already announced they’re breaking up, what do they do if they win?
I love it
Almost a perfect photo of the team
Koe: oh neat i won again
BJ: looks like he is plotting to steal the trophy even though he won it
Flasch: forced to carry the trophy alone, true second
Benny: (theme music from “Entourage” plays) F*CKIN RIGHTS BOYZZZZZ
The Team Bottcher discourse is so funny to me. Lot of “well I love 3 of these guys!!!”
Well, if you believe that Kennedy/Gallant/Hebert are excellent players and people, you might also have to accept they know a little bit more about Brendan than you do. Just a thought
Simply not an understatement to say Joanne changed the women’s game. You don’t hear that said about too many front end players. First-ballot Hall of Famer.
Going from the worlds to immediately hopping on a plane and starting the Slam a day later and then winning (with team average age over 40) is some king shit
So Mike McEwen, one of the top 10 skips of the last decade, goes out and immediately tries to master this shot one day after Niklas Edin does it. Consider the game officially changed
6th attempt for a mere mortal like me!
@NiklasEdin
will always be the OG, but watch out for
@TeamMcEwen
next year! (went a total of 2/10 on inturn attempts and 1/8 outturn… I think I have tennis elbow now 😣 😂)
I love curling so much.
Other sports: damn, this prospect looks amazing. I wonder if they’re going to rep Nike, Adidas, Under Armour…
Curling: I wonder who will be the official grain silo of Team Lawes
You might say the true mark of a champion is beating a Swiss team on a 42-game winning streak but for me it’s beating a team with absolutely nothing to lose that’s playing the game of their lives
Super impressed with Team Dunstone tonight. Not easy to stay the course when the Koe Miracles are coming in fast and I always listen for the communication and it was high-level tonight. Ultra-positive, blissfully unconcerned with the game stakes.
Just a great game to watch.
Joel Retornaz made his first Euros and Worlds in 2005. He didn’t have a winning record at the Euros until 2014 and didn’t have a winning record at the Worlds until 2019. Doesn’t make a Slam until last season, wins one today. Incredible determination, what a story.
Absolutely stunning houses here for the Chisasibi Curling Classic.
On one end, a Cree Medicine Wheel. On the other, an overhead view of a teepee.
Here’s a look inside the arena as we get ready for game time. A special day in the community no doubt.
A beautiful bronze medal for the beautiful boys from Newfoundland. We. Love. To. See. It.
And of course can’t help but feel for Team Shuster, 4 awesome guys and great ambassadors for the game who gave it everything
As a career lead, I understand the struggle. The jokes, the fact our shots are never shown in full-screen, and how no one ever talks to us. I’m on a mission to change that. Here’s the first edition of
LEADS NEED LOVE TOO
Where I talk to some of the Scotties’ best leads. Enjoy.
I’m thinking Team Bottcher’s strategy of dropping this news late Friday night and then assuming they won’t have to speak on it until Monday has backfired
And of course that’s to say nothing of Brett and Geoff each jumping up a position and Geoff being forced into the house to call line for the first time in a decade.
And we are 3 weeks out from the conclusion of the Olympics!!! It’s insane. Incredible.
Haven’t seen this one shared on twitter yet but this shot by Cameron Bryce against Ross Whyte is absolutely insane. Super spin splitter for a deuce to tie the game in 10. The look on Robin Brydone’s face says it all
Yesterday I headed to the concourse to talk to the fans and I was joined by my friend and 2023 Brier Runner-Up Matt Dunstone for the first edition of
JOHNNY AT THE SCOTTIES
We asked the important question: “do you know who Matt Dunstone is?” The results were…mixed.
The cat is out of the bag!!! I’ve been working for the last two years on a six-episode narrative podcast about the Broomgate scandal. Travelled the country and talked to everybody you’d want to hear from. The true story has never been told…until now.
Launching May 6th.
Broomgate - the ultimate curling scandal 👀
And now it's a podcast!
Host
@cullenoncurling
explores the biggest controversy to hit the sport of curling, launching May 6, 2024 wherever you get your podcasts 🎙
MORE:
Incredible second half from Homan. Start was slow and they just bore down and got it done. And you can’t say enough about Rachel’s shotmaking, always had the answer when they needed it
John and Rachel are two of the best to ever do it. That they came up short is not a weakness or a disappointment. Incredibly hard-fought and a pleasure to watch.
St-Georges Curling is excited to welcome
@lweagle19
to our team!🥳
Lisa is a World Champion, 2 time Olympian, and 3 time Scotties Tournament of Hearts Champion. 👉🏼Joining forces is not just about enhancing our competitive edge; it's also about making a difference in our sport🙌🏼
Playing with 3:
—less drama
—less need for committed players
—easier to reach residency rules
—only one person is sweeping 80% of the time anyway
—you split the money 3 ways instead of 4
This off-season just got a LOT more interesting….
"There was probably one too many Original 16s in his system, I think."
Following an opening win over Nova Scotia, Team Canada skip Brad Gushue describes the moment in the ninth end when a fan was tossed for being a little too involved throughout the game.
#Brier2024
Grant Hardie 🏴 makes a game-saver in end nine, removing all Swiss stones from the house to lie one! 👏
#ECC2022
#curling
Watch live on the Curling Channel at
Can’t ask for a better final. Hometown Team of Destiny with the best skip of this generation without a Brier title and a chance for the first win in 44 years for Sask against the Gushue Industrial Complex.
Beautiful
I would never lie to you.
As you might imagine, the announcement that Brendan Bottcher is no longer the skip of Marc/Brett/Ben is going to be the first in a series of upcoming moves affecting top men’s teams.
It’s about to be the Wild West out here
One thing I love about watching Bottcher is the communication. So even-keel, clear who the leader is but everyone gets a say, and everyone is always very honest with each other. One of the hardest things to do but makes the best teams and I love their style in particular
🚨 ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨
We are excited to confirm our team will be sticking together for the next quadrennial. After a successful season including a
#SaskTelTankard
win & 4th place finish at the
#Brier2022
we’re excited to see what the future holds! Thank you to our sponsors 💚⚡️
Saw a lot of “Curling Canada/TSN/someone owes us an explanation!” last night re: the Briane situation. But they actually don’t. There are likely very valid legal/ethical/privacy reasons behind this. I’m sure they’d love to curb speculation but that’s not their job either.
Wheelchair is no joke, I was lucky enough to commentate the worlds last year and it’s fiercely competitive. Silver in a crowded field is wonderful, congrats to the team
🚨🚨FREE AGENT ALERT 🚨🚨
In what is a first for gossipcurl,
@EmilyDeschenes
reached out and asked if I’d spread the word she’s ready to play in the women’s ranks next season! Youth Olympian, World Junior B champ AND she’s willing to relocate anywhere and play any position!
Folks we have some big news.
@CurlingGunner
has become the first curler to think ahead and pre-pay the Swear Jar. Based on his first spiel with us, this extra $100 should take him through to Red Deer
Wow Rachel Homan! 🇨🇦 She needed to hit the double run in the perfect spot, and she does it for two! 🤩
Watch live on the Curling Channel:
#WWCC
#curling
Thought the Homan announcement was great. Get the whole team together, control the narrative, answer important questions.
And it was obviously hotly anticipated and a tie-in for one of their main sponsors.
Which is a good answer for people asking why media shouldn’t leak teams.
Broomgate is the
#1
podcast in Canada.
Don’t let anyone tell you this isn’t the best sport in the world!!!! And with the most supportive fanbase!!! I love you all
After I posted the video yesterday, a lot of people said “more of this please!” Well, you’re in luck because we filmed another one that same day.
JOHNNY AT THE SCOTTIES PT 2
My teenage son Tyler Tardi joins me. Will anyone at the Scotties know who he is? Watch to find out!
IT'S LAUNCH DAY! Could not be more stoked to bring you Episodes 1 & 2 of Broomgate: A Curling Scandal. It's been a two-year journey and I can't wait for you to hear this story unfold over the next month. Listen and subscribe here:
I guess I should say again, anything I've written in my newsletter or tweeted about next season is speculation. Things I've gotten right, well...sometimes it's easier to connect the dots than others. When players tell me things and ask me not to say anything, I don't.
I’ll never understand the people who say “oh it’s so much better to watch curling championships on bad ice, more misses makes for a better game”
No it doesn’t. This is unbearable to watch
You just can’t say enough about Team Einarson’s week. One of the hardest things in sports is to get momentum back after you feel you lost it, not to mention with a whole country watching and an Olympic berth on the line.
Incredible curling. Bring on the playoffs baby
It was clear from the start this wasn't a rule Team Lawes had a hand in designing, nor would've wanted to be a part of. Love this, and love that Curling Canada has reconsidered.
The curling community is a powerful thing!
Thinking back to when Eve took a year off of winning 4 consecutive world juniors (crazy she probably would’ve won 5) to play in the 2010 Olympics and it’s maybe taken a bit longer than we might’ve thought then but this moment is cool as hell
Me, a 36 year old man who never made the Brier:
Yes, wow. What a….moment for him. So…incredible. *grits teeth* I think this is…really wonderful. I am just…so happy for him
I am SO excited to announce that the trailer from Broomgate: A Curling Scandal is now LIVE! Check out the full 3-minute trailer and then make sure to follow/subscribe to the podcast so you get the first two episodes when it releases May 6!
Stats aren’t everything but Rachel Homan’s numbers on the week:
83
97
93
89
85
100 🤯
99 🤯
87
94
Average: 92%
As you might expect, also good enough for a perfect +9. She’s on track for one of the most dominant performances from a last-rock thrower we’ve ever seen
Lot of emotion from Brad earlier and Mark tonight, and they’re usually two very even-keel guys, Brad in particular.
Gotta wonder if part of that is tied to them knowing the end is very near for one or both of them