Canada, Brad Jacobs cherish bronze-medal finish at curling worlds
In true Canadian spirit, Brad Jacobs and his Glencoe Club charges embraced the podium finish
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The performance was worthy of a championship — not just Sunday’s effort but much of the week’s feats for Canada’s Team Jacobs.
Too bad, it all only produced bronze medals for the decorated crew from Calgary.
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Canada, Brad Jacobs cherish bronze-medal finish at curling worlds Back to video
In true Canadian spirit, however, Brad Jacobs and his Glencoe Club charges embraced the podium finish at the 2025 BKT World Men’s Curling Championship in Moose Jaw, Sask.
“We’re wearing the Maple Leaf with pride all week, and we wanted to finish strong here,” Jacobs told TSN, moments after the final rock settled in an 11-2 win over China for the bronze medals. “We wanted to get ourselves on the podium.
“This is our last full game as a team unit. Our front end’s not able to make it to the Players’ Championship (next week). So we wanted to end this season on a good note with a win — not only for ourselves but for all the fans who came out and supported us all week.”
Certainly Jacobs, Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant and Ben Hebert ventured to Saskatchewan in search of the gold medal.
And they truly deserved it — along with coaches Paul Webster and Jeff Stoughton and alternate Tyler Tardi — during the nine-day event at Temple Gardens Centre, executing brilliance throughout the championship.
A Saturday semifinal loss to Scotland, though, kept them from capping the spiel with those golds.
And many wondered with their 15 combined world titles, would they have the drive to go after a win in a first-ever first bronze-medal appearance for all of them at the annual gala?
They did …
Emphatically.
It was over right away, really.
“We wanted to play that game for everybody — ourselves included,” Hebert said. “We played way too good of a week here this week to walk away with nothing. I think it was pretty evident we were on the wrong side of the semifinal draw (playing Scotland instead of Switzerland). We could’ve been in that final easily — we ran Switzerland out of the building 9-3. We played the best team in the world in the semi and gave them a hell of a battle and game up short.
“That’s the luck of the draw.”
In the bronze-medal draw, Canada went on the attack early to put pressure on a Chinese crew that had panicked when it went down by two in Saturday’s semifinal’s opening end to Switzerland.
Jacobs split a rock into the rings while saving the shooter with his first stone of the game and watched Xu flash with a too-light throw to give Canada the chance at three with an open draw. The skip made that easily with hammer for the 3-0 lead after the first frame.
And when they got hammer back in the fourth end after forcing China to draw in for just a count of one in the third end, the Canadians executed brilliant shot after brilliant shot to set up a hit-and-stick for a whopping five. Xu’s final rock was too heavy on an in-off attempt to further set up the big score.
“Recent memory … that’s one of the best executed ends I’ve ever seen in my life,” said TSN analyst Russ Howard, during the telecast.
“Coming out of the gate strong with the three was awesome,” Jacobs said. “And then the five obviously broke the game wide open. I think the reason why we were able to make so many points is not only did we get a bunch a misses (from China), but we felt really comfortable on Sheet C all week.
“We loved that sheet. It’s almost like you could see rocks where they were going before they were thrown — really easy to visualize.”
From there, it was academic in front of a thrilled crowd at Temple Gardens Centre.
“It was incredible,” said Jacobs, of playing all week long in front of a spirited Canadian fanbase. “It’s too bad we weren’t able to play in the final and fill the building and make it a really exciting final.
“Unfortunately, we came up short. But they supported us like crazy all week. They were unbelievable.”
End by end
• 1st end — Jacobs executes open draw for three; Canada 3-0 (key shot: Jacobs chip-in saving shooter with first rock)
• 2nd end — China blanks end with hit-and-roll; Canada 3-0
• 3rd end — Xu, facing four Canada rocks, draws to four-foot circle for one; Canada 3-1
• 4th end — Jacobs executes hit-and-stick for five; Canada 8-1 (key shot: Xu throws too much weight on in-off to button, and shooter rolls out)
• 5th end — Xu, facing two Canada rocks, comes up light on draw to button, steal of two for Canada; Canada 10-1
• 6th end — Xu executes hit-and-stick for one; Canada 10-2
• 7th end — Jacobs executes hit-and-roll to blank; Canada 10-2
• 8th end — Jacobs executes open draw for one; Canada 11-2
Canada finishes with an impressive 12-2 record, with both losses coming to Scotland, including in the heartbreaking semifinal Saturday.
China wrapped up the worlds with a 9-6 mark.
In the gold-medal match, Scotland’s Bruce Mouat won their second world title in three years by beating Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller 5-4.
Canada hasn’t won gold since Brad Gushue did it in 2017.
But Jacobs & Co. were right there — and deserved better, really.
In their last 34 games, Team Jacobs is a sparkling 30-4, with those losses in the WFG Masters final to Scotland’s Ross Whyte, to Gushue in the 1-v-2 qualifying game of the Montana’s Brier and to Scotland’s Bruce Mouat — twice — at these worlds.
“That’s a heck of a record, and I’m really proud of that,” Jacobs said. “I think it just goes to show we can compete at the highest level, both in Canada and on the world stage. And if we continue to have a growth mind-set and improve, who knows? Maybe we can make it to the top of the world stage someday.”
They want that someday to be next February at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, Italy., That means taking charge again against Canadian foes when they take the ice together at the trials to capture Canada’s spot for those Olympics.
“Can’t wait for that,” added Jacobs. “We’ve got a lot of building and work to do between now and then. I have no doubt that we’ll be ready for that event.”
Extra ends
The appearance Sunday was the 99th for Gallant in Canada’s colours, appropriately timed in that his nickname on the team is ‘Brettzky’ … The curling season’s not over with another busy week ahead, beginning Monday with the Rio Mare Battle of the Sexes — presented by The Curling Group — at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre. That one-night event features Team Mouat against Team Rachel Homan in a wild showcase of curling, comprised of eight ends of skins. “We’re so excited to put on a great show for the fans while supporting a cause that means so much to the curling community,” Homan said. “Knowing that our funds from this event will go to the Sandra Schmirler Foundation makes it even more special.” … Then the AMJ Players’ Championship to round out the 2024-25 Grand Slam of Curling schedule gets going early Tuesday at the same venue. The season finale features the top 12 men’s teams and top 12 women’s teams from around the globe.
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