How it unfolded
Canada fielded an unusual lineup: 25-year-old Brad Gushue as skip alongside 50-year-old Russ Howard, a former world champion skip in 1987 and 1993, at second. Mark Nichols played third and Jamie Korab lead. Their final opponent was Markku Uusipaavalniemi's Finland, the tournament's biggest surprise. The match was tight through five ends, Finland trailing 4-3, before it broke open entirely in the sixth. A run of Finnish errors filled the house with Canadian stones, and a triple takeout raise from Mark Nichols proved decisive, letting Canada sweep six points in a single end to go up 10-3. A six-point end in an Olympic final was essentially unheard of. Finland conceded after the eighth end, and Canada, 8-3 for the tournament overall, sealed the men's programme's first Olympic gold.
Why it still matters
Canadian men's curling had collapsed in the finals of 1998 and 2002 in succession. This win filled that gap and opened the run of golds that continued through 2010, 2014 and 2026. Russ Howard, at 50, set the record for oldest Canadian Winter Olympic gold medallist, and Gushue used this team as the base for a 20-year career that went on to include six Brier titles and the 2017 world title.