BOTTCHER ‘SUPER RINK’ AIMS FOR GOLD
AFTER A YEAR OF ADJUSTMENT, FOURSOME IS READY TO MAKE SOME NOISE, SKIP SAYS
No. 1 in Canada ... No. 2 in the world ... So what’s next for Brendan Bottcher and his super rink from Alberta?
It’s time — must or bust, if you will — to prove the rankings they’ve reached during the curling season don’t pick and slide sideways at the 2024 Montana’s Brier in Saskatchewan in their quest for national and then world supremacy.
“Absolutely,” agreed Bottcher, ahead of the Brier party, which opened Friday night at Regina’s Brandt Centre. “I think every year, you start with the Brier being one of the biggest events in the calendar and then kind of work your season around that. And that was certainly the case for us this year.”
Everyone says that; it is, after all, Canada’s annual glory event in men’s curling.
But Bottcher and his bunch from The Glencoe Club in Calgary built the team to be, at the very least, the best in the country.
And you can’t claim that without winning the Brier.
“In all honesty, we’ve put this team together for some pretty clear goals,” said Bottcher, who’s joined by third Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant, lead Ben Hebert and coach Paul Webster. “And you wouldn’t have to get too far through everyone’s resumé to realize that these guys are all very familiar with winning at the highest level and have been for a very long time.
“So we were putting this team together to try and challenge into the future, knowing that the game is only going to get harder and harder each year we go and there’s going to have to be a lot of hard work in between. When we put the group together, it was about, hopefully, standing on the podium.”
And so that hope begins for Team Bottcher, whose curlers sport a combined 12 Brier titles, with Draw 2 action against Newfoundland and Labrador’s Andrew Symonds early Saturday.
But it won’t be as simple as just leaning on their portfolio.
Not with the likes of reigning two-time king Brad Gushue and Alberta’s other super threat, Kevin Koe, in the mix.
Even their pool has its obstacles, with Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone ever threatening to become a titleholder.
“How they’re qualifying teams now, you get your best field there almost regardless how it all shakes out,” Bottcher said. “So there’s really not a name missing of the top teams in the field here this week. It should be as good of a Brier field as any of the others I’ve participated in anyways. There’s a lot of guys gunning for a big win here this week. And we’re certainly one of them.”
The biggest obstacle for this super rink was coming together after each player forged different paths of success.
But that was last year’s challenge.
This year’s is about getting gold on whatever podium that’s put in front of them.
Of course, the winner of the Brier puts on Canadian colours to compete for more gold at the 2024 LGT World Men’s Curling Championship, March 30-April 7 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
“I think we’re kind of through that honeymoonget-to-know-ya stage, which isn’t inconsequential,” Bottcher said.
“So we brought four guys together from four different teams. We brought a coach that has never team coached any of us in the past. Even just merging all of our ways of doing things — from practice, to tactics to technical — took a little bit of time. I think that was time really well spent.
“What’s been exciting this year is that we’ve kind of figured out what our way is. We’ve figured out who we want to be out there and what we’re trying to do, and now we’re just all pulling in the same direction every day, which has just been a pile of fun.”
Because of that outstanding season, they qualified for this Brier long ago as the top-scoring team, by a wide margin, in the Canadian Team Ranking System.
Along with that came a rating of second in the world, behind only Italy’s Joel Retornaz.
“We have had a great year,” agreed Bottcher. “I think everyone’s been working hard. I think we built on a lot of good work and learning last year. The mood on the team is great. I think we’re coming in excited, ready to go.
“And I think at this point, we’re just excited to kick it off Saturday.”
And do what the team was built to do ...
Claim a championship or two.
“We have to do what we practise, which isn’t a small ask,” added Bottcher.
“Under the big lights and in a big event, it’s sometimes easy to get pushed a little bit outside of your comfort zone. Certainly we need to do what we practise: keep nice, calm, cool and collected out there. I really think we’re going in with a pile of confidence. So I don’t think that’s going to be a roadblock for us.
“And hopefully, we’re still playing on the final weekend.”