Team Canada curling couple ready for the challenge of Milano Cortina 2026

It’s now official that Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant will rep the maple leaf in mixed doubles curling at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games nine months from now.

The duo earned their Olympic spot after a sixth-place finish at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, which took place on home ice in Fredericton, New Brunswick in early May. They earned the opportunity to compete there as Team Canada after going undefeated at the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in January.

The duo’s coach, Laine Peters, has known both athletes for many years, and even previously competed with Peterman on a four-person team from 2014 to 2018.

“We won a Canadian championship together, we lost an Olympic Trials together,” said Peters. “I’ve also known Brett for a really long time. So when they were looking for someone to join the team, there was a comfort there.”

That familiarity has given Peters great insight into what makes Peterman and Gallant great competitors.

“They are dedicated to honing their craft all the time. They’re incredible athletes, and they’re just great people,” Peters said. “As a unit, they’re always striving to find the most efficient way to communicate with each other on the ice, and just always helping each other. It makes them a great team.”

Peterman and Gallant aren’t just a great team on the ice though—they’re also one off it. The couple got married in 2022, and have an almost-two-year-old son, Luke, who will have the rare opportunity next year to watch his parents compete at the Olympics, together.

The team is hoping to build on their performance at the pressure-packed competition in Fredericton when they get to Cortina.

“We’d played in the Olympic Trials, and we played in the world championship, but to have them both combined, it was certainly unique. I thought we performed pretty well. Our last couple games in the playoffs didn’t really go our way, but [we’re] so proud of the way we performed,” said Gallant. “It’s a good test, a good way to prepare for Italy next winter. We played against a lot of the best teams in the world there. It gives us a little bit of a chip [on our shoulders] going into Italy because we really want to improve our performance.”

“Curling is literally a game of millimeters, right?” added Peters. “There were a couple games that we felt like we had control of, and then it can slip away just like that, and it’s because of the calibre of the competition. You can’t let up at all, and mixed doubles is a vicious game. You have to be so precise.”

While the playoffs didn’t go exactly the way they’d hoped, the duo was able to enter them knowing that the Olympic spot was locked up. But with the tournament ongoing, there wasn’t much time for celebration.

“We just had a group hug the four of us—me, Brett, Laine, and our team leader, Scott [Pfeifer]. And then we went out for practice,” Peterman said with a laugh.

Peterman and Gallant have had a busy season, competing both together and with their four-person teams. They both competed at their respective national championships—the Tournament of Hearts (women) and the Brier (men)—with their current four-person teams in February and March. After Team Jacobs won the Brier, Gallant competed at his fourth career World Men’s Curling Championship and helped bring home the bronze medal in early April.

Now it’s time to get back to basics for a bit.

“We’re getting home and getting right into gym time, spending a little bit of time off the ice working on our strength and fitness before we get back on the ice in July/August,” said Peterman. 

Peterman and Peters also have plans to continue their curling off-season weekly golf sessions. Luke’s second birthday is coming up on May 23, for which Peters will be on deck to help prepare cupcakes.

While their mixed doubles Olympic ticket is booked, Peterman and Gallant will have a chance to qualify for the women’s and men’s four-person events at Milano Cortina 2026. The 2025 Canadian Curling Trials will take place November 22-30 in Halifax. Peterman is part of Team Kaitlyn Lawes, and Gallant is part of Team Brad Jacobs, both of which have earned berths at the trials.

But no matter what, Peterman and Gallant will be preparing to be at their best come February 2026.

“It’s going to be a very strong field. There’s going to be past Olympic champions, past world champions there, and lots of people with Olympic experience,” said Gallant. “We have that experience in those situations, so we’re really looking forward to it. What better stage to test yourself than against the best?”