Skip announces that he has parted ways with Brendan Botcher's team

Skip Brendan Bottcher announced his retirement from his Calgary club on Tuesday.

Boettcher said he was no longer teammates with third Mark Kennedy, second Brett Gallant, lead Ben Hebert and coach Paul Webster and wished them well on and off the ice.

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— Team Bottcher Curling (@BottcherCurling) April 16, 2024

“I am more passionate about the future of curling and my future than ever,” Bottcher said in a statement. “Curling is entering its golden age as our sport continues to evolve and grow with increased fan interest in Canada and around the world, and the expansion of specialty rankings as well as club and elite levels.

While Bottcher didn't talk about his future plans, he ended his statement by saying, “I'm excited about what's next for curling in Canada and the next iteration of Team Bottcher.”

The 32-year-old from Spruce Grove, Alta., joins Kennedy, Gallant and Hebert to form a powerful team of former Olympians and world champions to begin the quadrennial in 2022. They won the Grand Slam of Curling twice. The combined Canadian Open and Champions Cup are in their first season together.

Bottcher finished second in the HearingLife Tour Challenge and Co-op Canadian Open in the 2023-24 campaign. The team also won three tour events early in the season and was ranked No. 1 in the world for four weeks in the fall.

His team ended the year with a 2-3 record at the Princess Auto Players Championship this past weekend, securing a pre-qualification spot for next year's Montana Brier.