Brad Gushue back curling after concussion-like symptoms from on-ice fall

Veteran curler Brad Gushue returned to action Wednesday for the first time since suffering a head injury last month.

The St. John's skip opened against Saskatoon's Steve Laycock in the late-afternoon draw at The National at General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ont.

Gushue needed seven stitches to close a gash above his right eye after he fell Oct. 31 at The Masters in Truro, N.S.

He lost his balance and landed head first on the ice. Gushue thinks a buildup of frost on his shoe's gripper may have caused him to fall.

Gushue went down in the fourth end, got stitched up at a nearby hospital, and returned in the seventh end of a 5-2 quarter-final loss to Laycock.

He said he experienced concussion-like symptoms after he left the arena and again the next day. Gushue underwent a CT scan when he returned home and rested for almost a week.

He added that he had additional tests done this week before doctors gave him the go-ahead to travel and play at the Grand Slam of Curling event at GMC.

Gushue, 35, won Olympic gold at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy.