Team Gushue

!Story - SIMCOE.COM v3 - Golden memories for Russ Howard

Mike Dodd
Published: Wed, Mar 1st, 2006

Midland’s native son, Russ Howard, was a key component to Brad Gushue’s gold-medal winning team at the 2006 Winter Olympics. - Toronto Star photo

Russ Howard. … Olympic gold medalist. The partying still hasn’t stopped since Midland’s native son won gold on Friday in Torino, Italy, as a member of Canada’s men’s Olympic curling team.

The second with the Brad Gushue rink from Newfoundland, the 50-year-old Howard helped lead the Canadian men’s curling team to a 10-4 victory over Finland in Friday’s gold medal final.

“I’m totally exhausted,” said Barb Howard, Russ’s mother, speaking with The Mirror after watching the final in her Midland home.

A graduate of Midland Secondary School, Russ Howard began sharpening his curling skills at the Midland Curling Club.

Watching the gold medal final with Barb Howard was Paul MacDonald, the man credited with mentoring Russ through his early years in the sport.

Television and newspaper reporters were on hand at the Howard home to record the historic win by Howard and the Canadian team.

“I’m still trying to take it all in. It’s so overwhelming. It’s hard to believe this little country bumpkin has gone that far (in curling),” said Mrs. Howard.

Following the win, Barb Howard was in tears while talking with Russ’s wife Wendy, who was in Italy to watch the historic win, along with their children Stephen and Ashley.

“She (Wendy) hasn’t been able to get near Russ. They are whisking Russ and the team off to do interviews,” said Mrs. Howard.

Ironically, Glenn Howard was in St. John’s, Newfoundland competing in a Grand Slam of Curling event when old brother Russ claimed Olympic gold.

“I’m so happy for Russ. He deserves it,” said Glenn, speaking by phone with The Advance.

Glenn Howard was doing his share of media interviews, as the Newfoundland media was mobbing him to get his reaction to Canada’s first Olympic gold medal win in curling.

“I’ve been doing a whole bunch of media interviews. It’s been a total zoo in St. John’s. It’s turned into one big party town,” said Howard.

Even thousands of miles away in Italy, Russ Howard didn’t forget about his mother.

“Hi mom,” he mouthed into the CBC camera and offered his traditional eye wink and gunslinger hand gesture.

“That (the gun move) is just something he has always done. Early on, when someone made a good shot, he would point the finger and the thumb up. Now it’s caught on with the Newfoundland kids. When he does the wink and the gun, that’s for me,” she said.

Russ dropped in to see his mother two weeks ago, when he made a two-day stopover in Midland-Penetanguishene.

Barb Howard visited Russ in New Brunswick in July, when Howard was asked if he would be interested in joining the Newfoundland team.

“Toby (Olympic curling coach Toby McDonald) asked Russ if he would be interested in mentoring Brad and the rest of the Newfoundland team.”

While nothing is planned yet, Barb Howard hopes her oldest son will come back to Midland and give her a closeup look at his Olympic gold medal.

“What a game,” said Kent Carstairs, who curled with Howard in 1987, when the Penetanguishene Curling Club foursome won the world men’s curling title.

Carstairs teamed with Howard, his brother Glenn and Tim Belcourt in the mid-1980s when the foursome won in Germany.

“The six-ender they had was the difference,” said Carstairs.

Midland Curling Club ice technician Bryan Wilson was over the moon after the last rock was thrown in the eighth end Friday.

“What a great result. I’m so happy for Russ,” said Wilson, speaking via his cellphone.

Wilson first hooked up with Howard in 1984 after first moving to the region. He and Paul MacDonald curled in the same Monday night league with Howard in the years leading up to his 1987 and 1993 world championship wins.

“Those were the days before Russ became the celebrity and curling legend he is now. He was so approachable in those days and is just as approachable now.

“Russ has had such a major impact on the game of curling. He was the architect of so many different rules now being used in curling,” said Wilson.

Howard’s knowledge and skill made him a major asset to any team.

“Russ could go out with anyone on his team and win. Anyone who played with him became a better player,” said Wilson.

Copyright ©1996-2005 Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing.

VOCM - Big Welcome for Team Gushue

February 28, 2006

The public will be given an opportunity to meet and greet Brad Gushue’s gold winning Olympic Curling Team on Saturday. Bob Osborne of the St. John’s Curling Club says the open house will take place from 1 - 4 p.m. at the St. John’s Convention Centre. Osborne says there’s no charge but people have been asked to bring along a non-perishable food item. He told Bill Rowe on VOCM’s Backtalk Russ Howard will join the team for the event, but he encourages everyone to arrive early. The Gushue Rink will be recognized at the Fog Devils game on Saturday. Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab, Mike Adam, Russ Howard, and coach Toby MacDonald will be on hand to drop the ceremonial puck. The team will also sign autographs on the concourse from 6 to 6:45 pm.

Meantime, it was a raucus welcome home for the Gushue curling rink early this morning at St. John’s International Airport. A huge crowd turned out to show Brad, Mark, Jamie, Mike and Toby just how proud they are of the team’s accomplishment. There was pride galore, with Canadian flags by the dozens waving to celebrate the homecoming. Brad Gushue was overwhelmed by the turnout. The coach of the Olympic champions, Toby McDonald, says the support has been fantastic.

Labrador City Mayor Graham Letto says the make-up of the team, from the island and Labrador, is special. Cabinet Minister Paul Shelley, says Brad Gushue and his team have united young and old. Avalon MP Fabian Manning says people from this province would still be proud of Team Gushue even without the gold medal. Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster, Bob Cole, was on hand having just arrived back from the Olympics himself. He attended the weekend medal ceremony.

© 2006 VOCM Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Russ Howard turns 50 today … Happy birthday!

From The CBC Torino 2006 - The Olympic Games Site

Russ Howard - Curling - men’s second

Birthdate: Feb. 19, 1956
Birthplace: Midland, Ont.
Hometown: Moncton, N.B.

Olympic Outlook

The addition of Howard has brought much-needed championship savvy to Brad Gushue’s rink. Howard has never appeared in an Olympics but has a wealth of experience in big-time international events.

Season Highlights

* Won Canadian curling trials as second for Gushue

Career Highlights

* Two-time world champion as skip (1987 and 1993)
* Two-time Brier champion as skip (1987 and 1993)
* Has won a record 107 Brier games as skip
* Has appeared in a record 13 Briers as skip

Quotations

“I tell you I could swim to Italy right now.”
- Howard after qualifying for the Torino Olympics with Team Brad Gushue

Noteworthy

Howard will be 50 years, five days old on Feb.24, 2006, the day of the Olympic men’s curling final. The oldest person to win an Olympic gold medal is Oscar Swahn, who captured gold in shooting at the 1912 Games when he was 64.

Copyright © CBC 2006

CANOE - 2006 GAMES TURIN ITALY - Curling - Gushue aims for first gold

January 25, 2006
BILL GRAVELAND

Team Gushue skip Brad Gushue from St. John’s, N.L., will represent Canada at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin.(CP PICTURE ARCHIVE/Andrew Vaughan)

(CP) - Canada may have been the undisputed powerhouse in men’s curling for decades but that has not yet paid off in Olympic gold.

It has been an ongoing source of frustration for Canadian curling fans. Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., will attempt to remedy the situation when he takes to the ice at Turin, Italy, in nearby Pinerolo. He knows the pressure he will be operating under. “We expect it too. We know winning the trials makes us going into Torino as the favourite or one of the favourites,” said Gushue, who along with his team of Mark Nichols, Russ Howard and Jamie Korab prevailed at the Olympic curling trials in Halifax in December.

“You know we’ve already played a lot of the teams we’re going to be playing there and have had some success. If we keep playing the way that we’ve been playing I like our chances.”

Canada has picked up silver medals in the men’s competition in the two Olympics since curling became an official sport. Mike Harris was second in 1998 to Switzerland’s Patrick Huerlimann while Kevin Martin was runner-up to Norway’s Paal Trulsen in 2002.

Trulsen will be one of the other favourites going into these Games, along with former world champion Peja Lindholm of Sweden and Ralph Stckli of Switzerland, who won the silver medal at the world championships in 2003.

Rounding out the field is David Murdoch of Britain who lost the final to Randy Ferbey at the 2005 world championships in Victoria.

“We’re going to do everything possible to win gold,” said Gushue. “That’s been our dream for a long time, but sometimes Canadians fail to realize how good some of the other countries are.

Like hockey, says Gushue, Sweden, Finland and Russia can all ice good curling teams.

“Sweden and Switzerland don’t have the depth that Canada has but they do have some top teams. I like our chances but we’re going to have to play good - we’re not going to win by showing up that’s for sure.”

One of the strengths of the Gushue team is it has had success internationally. Gushue won the 2001 world junior championship and entered a couple of events in the past year, including one in Norway, to get some extra experience.

“We wanted to get over and play some of those guys and that helped. We played Lindholm and Stockli before,” Gushue said.

Howard, who was added as an extra body prior to the curling trials, has two Brier championships and two gold medals from the world championships in 1987 and 1993. The veteran, who will turn 50 while at the Olympics, said there’s always some additional pressure on Canadian curlers.

“When I went over in 1987 we had to win because we were the best country but things have changed,” said Howard. “I don’t want to come up with any excuses but Peja Lindholm and whoever they send from the other countries, those guys can play. A guy like Lindholm could play in this and make the playoffs if he gets it rolling.”

The addition of Howard has given the young Canadian rink additional confidence. Howard throws second stones but has been calling the games, leaving Gushue to focus solely on making his final shot.

“He’s incredible,” Gushue said. “A guy like that joining the team is pretty special. You look at our stats without Russ and our stats without Russ and you can tell the difference that he makes.”

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> Canadian men’s Olympic curling team primer

(CP) - A look at the Canadian men’s Olympic curling team:

Skip: Brad Gushue, 25, born in St. John’s, N.L. Skipped at three Briers and won the 2001 world junior curling championship. Throwing final stones while Russ Howard calls the games.

Third: Mark Nichols, 25, born in Labrador City, N.L. Played with Gushue at all three Briers as well as the 2001 world juniors.

Second: Russ Howard, 49, born in Midland, Ont. Two Brier championships for Ontario in 1987 and 1993. Two gold medals at world championships in 1987 and 1993. Thirteen Brier appearances (eight for Ontario and five for New Brunswick). Calling the game while Gushue throws skip stones.

Lead: Jamie Korab, 26, born in Harbour Grace, N.L. Played in three Briers with Gushue and was alternate in 2001 gold medal world junior team.

Outlook: Should be a heavy favourite going into the event along with Sweden, Norway and Switzerland. Gushue has won a world junior championship while Howard is a two time world champion.

History: Canada has never won the men’s Olympic gold medal. Mike Harris (1998) and Kevin Martin (2002) won silver medals.

Quote: “We expect to go in as a favourite but sometimes Canadians fail to realize how good some of the other countries are. They don’t have the depth that Canada has but they do have some great teams.” - Canadian skip Brad Gushue.

Copyright © 2006, Canoe Inc. All rights reserved.