ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — It would be a double takeout like none ever made before.

No team representing Canada in curling at the Olympics has ever competed in, let alone won, the national Brier or Scotties championship the same year as its participation in the Winter Games. But there is a chance that soon could change; Brad Gushue says his St. John’s rink — which won the Canadian Olympic Trials men’s division last week — is considering taking a shot at what would be an historic undertaking.

The possibility this season could amount to what Brad Gushue calls “the last hurrah” for his Olympic-bound curling team will be a major factor in any decision by Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker about whether they will pursue a possible berth in the 2022 Brier Canadian men’s championship. — Curling Canada photo/Michael Burns

Scheduling conflicts have put the kibosh on any such aspirations in the past. For example, when Gushue skipped Canada to gold in Turin, Italy at the 2006 Olympics, the Games were held at just about the same time as the Tankard Newfoundland and Labrador men’s championship. That year, Ken Peddigrew won the Tankard and represented the province at the Brier.

However, the window as it relates to the 2022 Games in Beijing appears to be a little more open.

Click to read this story at Saltwire Media: https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/sports/double-vision-gushue-rink-considers-chasing-brier-title-in-an-olympic-year-100666497/