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Mark Nichols (curler)

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Mark Nichols
Curler
Mark Nichols at the March 2018 Elite 10 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Born (1980-01-01) January 1, 1980 (age 44)
Labrador City, Newfoundland, Canada
Team
Curling clubSt. John's CC,[1]
St. John's, NL
SkipBrad Gushue
ThirdMark Nichols
SecondBrendan Bottcher
LeadGeoff Walker
AlternateAdam Casey
Curling career
Member Association Newfoundland and Labrador (1995–2012; 2014–present)
 Manitoba (2012–2014)
Brier appearances20 (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
World Championship
appearances		5 (2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024)
Pan Continental Championship
appearances		3 (2022, 2023, 2024)
Olympic
appearances		2 (2006, 2022)
Top CTRS ranking1st (2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24)
Grand Slam victories16 (2010 National (Jan.), 2013 National, 2014 Masters, 2014 Canadian Open, 2015 National, 2016 Elite 10, 2016 Players', 2017 Canadian Open, 2017 Tour Challenge, 2017 Masters, 2018 Champions Cup, 2018 Elite 10 (Sept.), 2021 National, 2022 Champions Cup, 2022 National, 2024 Players')
Medal record
Men's Curling
Representing  Canada
Winter Olympics
Gold medal – first place 2006 Turin Team
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Beijing Team
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Edmonton
Silver medal – second place 2018 Las Vegas
Silver medal – second place 2022 Las Vegas
Silver medal – second place 2023 Ottawa
Silver medal – second place 2024 Schaffhausen
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2001 Ogden
Pan Continental Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Calgary
Gold medal – first place 2023 Kelowna
The Brier
Gold medal – first place 2018 Regina
Gold medal – first place 2023 London
Gold medal – first place 2024 Regina
Representing  Newfoundland and Labrador
Canadian Olympic Trials
Gold medal – first place 2005 Halifax
Gold medal – first place 2021 Saskatoon
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Ottawa
The Brier
Gold medal – first place 2017 St. John's
Gold medal – first place 2020 Kingston
Silver medal – second place 2007 Hamilton
Silver medal – second place 2016 Ottawa
Bronze medal – third place 2011 London
Representing  Manitoba
The Brier
Silver medal – second place 2013 Edmonton
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Kamloops
Representing Newfoundland and Labrador Wild Card
The Brier
Gold medal – first place 2022 Lethbridge

Mark Nichols, ONL (born January 1, 1980) is a Canadian curler from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.[2] He currently plays third for the Brad Gushue rink. Nichols is a former Olympic champion curler, having played third for Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where the team won a gold medal.[3] He also won a World Championship with Gushue in 2017.

Career

[edit]

Nichols was born in Labrador City, Newfoundland, the son of Gerry and Helen Nichols. Nichols began curling at the age of 3 in Labrador City.[4] In 1995, he played for Newfoundland at the Canada Games, placing eighth.[5]

Between 1999 and 2011, Nichols lived in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, where he played third for the Brad Gushue rink. It was with Gushue that he represented Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics. With Gushue, Nichols has been to three Canadian Junior Curling Championships (1999, 2000, and winning in 2001) and fourteen Briers (2003-2005, 2007-2011, 2015–2020). He also qualified for the 2013 and 2014 Brier with Manitoba's Jeff Stoughton rink. He also won the World Junior Curling Championships in 2001 with Gushue. He also won Gold in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, at which he threw a spectacular shot - running back a guard onto another stone which picked another rock that was sitting in a dead zone - in the 6th end of the final against Finland, helping Canada to score 6. Certainly, one thing to aid their victory was the fact that Nichols shot a blistering 97 percent in the gold medal final. "When he’s playing that way, we don’t lose very much," said Gushue.[6] He is also the 2017 Tim Hortons Brier Champion, again as third for Gushue, defeating Kevin Koe 7-6 in the final, helping Gushue to win the Brier in his 14th appearance. This was an especially sweet victory for Nichols, who had lost 3 Brier finals previously- with Gushue to Glenn Howard in 2007, with Stoughton to Brad Jacobs in 2013, with Gushue to Kevin Koe in 2016. The 2017 Brier was also in St. John's, where the Gushue team is from. The team went undefeated at the 2017 World Men's Curling Championship, defeating Niklas Edin in the final. At the 2018 Brier, he went back-to-back as brier champion, but this time he was a member of Team Canada, defeating Brendan Bottcher of Alberta 6-4 with fellow skip Brad Gushue. At the 2018 World Men's Curling Championship, they would lose the final in a rematch against Sweden's Edin. They couldn't win three Briers in a row, losing the 3 vs. 4 game of the 2019 Tim Hortons Brier to Brendan Bottcher.

Nichols has won a career total of twelve Grand Slam of Curling events, ten with Gushue and two with Stoughton. He won his first at the 2010 The National (January), defeating Randy Ferbey in the final. He also won the National in 2013 and 2015. He won two Masters (2014, 2017), two Canadian Open's (2014, 2017), two Elite 10's (2016, 2018 (Sept.)) and one Tour Challenge, Players' Championship and Champions Cup.

He briefly retired from curling after the 2011 Brier, although he always suggested he might return at some point, which he did for the 2012-2013 season as Jeff Stoughton's lead. He would play two whole seasons with Jeff, winning a silver at the 2013 Brier, and in the middle of the 2013-2014 season, moved to throwing second stones for Jeff, missing the playoffs at the Canadian Olympic Trials, but winning a bronze at the 2014 Brier. He left the Stoughton rink to reunite with Brad after the 2014 Brier.

He won the Ford Hot Shots shot-making competition at the 2005 Brier, winning a two-year lease on a new Ford vehicle.

Nichols also skipped team Newfoundland and Labrador with sister Shelley, Brent Hamilton and Jennifer Guzzwell to a Canadian Mixed Curling Championship in 2005.

2022 Winter Olympics

[edit]

Nichol's team, skipped by Brad Gushue, qualified as the Canadian representatives for the 2022 Winter Olympics by winning the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, defeating Brad Jacobs 4–3 in the final.[7][8] The team would go onto win the bronze medal.[9][10][11]

Personal life

[edit]

In 2005, he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from the Memorial University of Newfoundland. He also received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2006 and received a certification of Mac-Nutrition in 2021.[4]

With Gushue, Nichols is the co-owner and personal trainer with Orangethory Fitness in St. John's.[12] In the summer of 2011, Nichols married his longtime girlfriend and fellow curler Colette Lemon. They have two children.[13] In August 2011, Nichols ran for the Progressive Conservative nomination in the district of Labrador West, losing to Nick McGrath.[14][15] His mother, Helen competed for Newfoundland at the 1992 Scott Tournament of Hearts.[4]

Teams

[edit]
Season Skip Third Second Lead
1998–99 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Neal Blackmore Steve Parsons
1999–00 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Jamie Korab Mike Adam
2000–01 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Brent Hamilton Mike Adam
2001–02 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Paul Harvey Gene Trickett
2002–03 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Jamie Korab Mark Ward
2003–04 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Jamie Korab Mark Ward
2004–05 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Keith Ryan Jamie Korab
2005–06 Brad Gushue (Fourth) Mark Nichols Mike Adam
Russ Howard (Skip)		 Jamie Korab
2006–07 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Chris Schille Jamie Korab
2007–08 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Chris Schille David Noftall
2008–09 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Ryan Fry Jamie Korab
2009–10 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Ryan Fry Jamie Korab
2010–11[a] Brad Gushue (Fourth) Randy Ferbey (Skip) Mark Nichols Ryan Fry
2011[a] Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Ryan Fry Jamie Danbrook
2012–13 Jeff Stoughton Jon Mead Reid Carruthers Mark Nichols
2013–14 Jeff Stoughton Jon Mead Reid Carruthers Mark Nichols
Jeff Stoughton Jon Mead Mark Nichols Reid Carruthers
2014–15 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Brett Gallant Geoff Walker
2015–16 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Brett Gallant Geoff Walker
2016–17[b] Brad Gushue
Mark Nichols		 Mark Nichols
Charley Thomas
Adam Spencer
Pat Simmons		 Brett Gallant Geoff Walker
2017–18 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Brett Gallant Geoff Walker
2018–19 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Brett Gallant Geoff Walker
2019–20 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Brett Gallant Geoff Walker
2020–21 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Brett Gallant Geoff Walker
2021–22 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Brett Gallant Geoff Walker
2022–23 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols E. J. Harnden Geoff Walker
2023–24 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols E. J. Harnden Geoff Walker
2024–25 Brad Gushue Mark Nichols E. J. Harnden (Sept.–Oct.)
Brendan Bottcher (since Oct.)		 Geoff Walker

Awards

[edit]
  • World Junior Curling Championships: All-Star Third - 2001
  • Brier: First Team All-Star, Lead - 2013
  • Brier: First Team All-Star, Second - 2014
  • Brier: First Team All-Star, Third - 2018
  • Brier: Second Team All-Star, Third - 2004, 2016, 2017, 2022 and 2024
  • World Men's Curling Championship: All-Star Third - 2017, 2018 and 2024

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Ferbey left team mid-season
  2. ^ Gushue was injured at the beginning of the 2016–17 curling season, so Nichols moved up to skip, with Thomas, Spencer, and Simmons sparing at third at different events.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "Curling Canada | Curling Scores on Curling.ca".
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 12, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Mark Nichols". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Mark NICHOLS".
  5. ^ "Curling | Canada Games". Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  6. ^ Canadian Curling Association Archived September 2, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Gushue defeats Jacobs to earn Olympic spot". TSN. November 29, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  8. ^ Nichols, Paula (November 29, 2021). "Team Jones and Team Gushue officially join Team Canada for Beijing 2022". www.olympic.ca/. Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Korobanik, John (February 18, 2022). "Team Gushue wins men's curling bronze medal at Beijing 2022". www.olympic.ca/. Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  10. ^ "Gushue, Canada beat USA to claim men's curling bronze". TSN. February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  11. ^ Boynton, Sean (February 18, 2022). "Canada takes bronze in men's curling at Beijing Olympics with 8-5 win over U.S." Global News. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  12. ^ Heroux, Devin (January 27, 2021). "Back to school: Brad Gushue pursuing master's degree amid chaotic curling season". CBC Sports. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  13. ^ 2017 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials: Media Guide
  14. ^ "Former AG to challenge NDP leader in N.L. election". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. August 19, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  15. ^ "McGrath wins PC nomination". The Aurora. August 25, 2011. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  16. ^ Brazeau, Jonathan (October 25, 2016). "Charley Thomas to spare with Team Gushue at GSOC Masters". Sportsnet. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
[edit]
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