COVID-19 kept Mark Nichols from the Brier championship match — but not the celebration
'They mean the world to me': Teammates bring trophy to curler's hotel room door
Newfoundland and Labrador curler Mark Nichols didn't get to spend his Sunday night the way he wanted to, but says watching his teammates take home a fourth Brier championship took away all the pain of not being on the ice.
Nichols, the third for Team Wild Card One, was forced to miss the final weekend of competition due to a COVID-19 diagnosis.
"It was a tough few days for me. I was pretty sick. I feel like I'm on the other end of it now, but it's been a whirlwind of emotions and feelings over the last three, four days," Nichols told CBC News from his hotel room in Lethbridge, Alta., on Monday.
He watched from isolation as his short-handed teammates — skip Brad Gushue, second Brett Gallant and lead Geoff Walker — defeated the Alberta team, led by Kevin Koe, 9-8 in 11 ends to secure the team's fourth Brier title in six years.
"What they did this past weekend is nothing short of remarkable," he said.
"Watching is terrible, I hate every second of it, but I loved watching them do what they did on the ice. What they did, it's never been done before. And you know what? It may never be done again.… I'm lucky to be part of a pretty amazing team."
The victory comes just a few weeks after the team returned from the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, where they won a bronze medal.
After managing to avoid COVID-19 for months, Nichols said, the positive test was frustrating and mentally crushing.
"It felt so wrong. Honestly, I felt robbed of my chance to play in a championship weekend at the Brier," he said. "I was in a pretty dark space for a few days there, but the guys just battled through for me.… The win just kind of takes all that pain away."
Gushue said he estimated the team had only around a 10 per cent chance of winning the tournament following the loss of Nichols, but Nichols joked his illness could have been motivation to focus his teammates.
"Who knows what it was? But they went out and played unbelievable. It's a story we're going to be telling for a long time."
WATCH: Team Gushue delivers the Tim Hortons Brier tankard to Mark Nichols's hotel room:
The team was also able to have a subdued celebration with Nichols following the win, delivering the Brier tankard to his hotel room and letting him keep it for the night.
"Thinking about it chokes me up," he said.
"It was really hard not being on the ice. They wanted me to feel included, they brought the trophy, it's still here with me right now.… They mean the world to me. It's amazing that we've been able to do what we've done."
The team will now shift efforts to the world men's curling championships, which take place from April 2-10 in Las Vegas, once Nichols rejoins the group.
Nichols said the team is excited to wear the Maple Leaf for the second time this year, adding another chapter to what has already been a memorable year.
"The way 2022 has gone has been crazy. We're on a roller-coaster ride that really isn't over yet."
With files from Carolyn Stokes