CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Brett Gallant has a bit of tongue-in-cheek advice for permitting well-wishers to kiss the Brier Tankard when it’s on display Sunday in Charlottetown.
That’s Sunday, 1-3 p.m., at the West Royalty Community Centre.
Gallant’s fourth year with the Brad Gushue-skipped rink from Newfoundland and Labrador was a corker.
The foursome, which also includes third Mark Nichols and lead Geoff Walker, had a dominant season, winning several cashspiels, the Brier and the world championship, and finished first on the Canadian Team Ranking System list with 520.53 points and third on the World Curling Tour money list with earnings of $140,395.
“I consider my career pretty young at this stage, so to have that (Brier, world championship) crossed off my list is pretty special,” said the 27-year-old Gallant.
Brett Gallant throws a rock during the Brier at Mile One Centre. Keith Gosse/The Telegram
For Gallant, this past season reaped the benefits of daily practice time and upwards of 100 games beginning in September.
“We played in a lot of events so when you get to the big game, you’re confident in that situation,” he said.
After the gala and Sunday’s public event, Gallant heads back to Calgary, where he lives, to resume training. At the end of August, he’s comes east to St. John’s, N.L., to reunite with Gushue, Nichols and Walker and prep for the 2017-18 season.
And there’s an extra incentive, a shot at a gold medal at the 2018 Olympics.
Gushue and crew’s world championship win earned it a berth at the Olympic curling trials in December in Ottawa. Win that and Gallant’s off to Pyongyang, South Korea, with a chance for gold.