John Shuster rink opens Olympic curling gold medal defense with tight win over Russians

BEIJING — It's been a good ride for Team Shuster. Since the Minnesota-based foursome won an Olympic gold medal in 2018, they've appeared on late-night TV, rung the bell at the New York Stock Exchange and met countless celebrities.

Wednesday, Team Shuster returned to the Winter Games, defeating Russia 6-5 in an extra end to open the men's curling tournament at the Beijing Olympics. And according to skip John Shuster, success hasn't spoiled them a bit. If anything, the Chisholm native said, it has brought the group closer, enhancing its chances of giving the U.S. its third Olympic medal in the sport.

Three of the original members remain: Shuster at skip, John Landsteiner of Duluth at lead and Matt Hamilton at second. When vice-skip Tyler George took a break from the sport after the Pyeongchang Games, the team replaced him with an old friend and fellow Duluth resident, Chris Plys.

Curling teams typically are close-knit, reflecting the sport's social roots. Members of the Shuster rink said their partnership has evolved into something more, behind a skip who continues to grow as a leader and competitor.

"Teams around our sport are very, very close, with these camaraderies and brotherhoods,'' said Shuster, who is playing in his fifth Olympics. "We've taken it a step beyond. We have this bond, this ability to be vulnerable with each other and really talk to each other about anything.

"All the cards are out on the table. Nobody has to wonder what someone else is thinking. And that's everything.''

Team Shuster has stayed plenty busy since its gold medal moment, one of the viral highlights of the 2018 Olympics. It enters the Beijing Games ranked No. 4 in the world, after finishing fifth at the world championships last spring. The team also finished fifth at the 2019 worlds and won the 2019 U.S. championship.

After the Pyeongchang Games, the group needed an agent to field all the requests for personal appearances and business proposals. Shuster, 39, even attended a state dinner at the White House. In the months before the Beijing Games, the team was followed around by a camera crew for a documentary TV series — "American Rock Stars" — streaming on Peacock.

At first, Landsteiner said, the sudden burst of fame felt like "an out-of-body experience.'' It did not warp the group, which stayed true to themselves and to one another.

"We're all normal guys, small-town guys,'' Plys said. "We come from places that supported us all along, but also kept us grounded. Curling is something we do, and we care a lot about it, but it doesn't define us.''

Though Shuster is the skip, Landsteiner said the team runs as a democracy. Everyone contributes to discussions large and small, and they pride themselves on open communication.

The closer they have become, Plys said, the more completely they trust one another on the ice. Wednesday's match against Russia was tight throughout, with both teams missing early opportunities. The Russians stole two in the fourth end for a 3-1 lead, and in the fifth, Shuster had a chance for three but came away with only one.

Team Shuster kept its cool, getting a steal of its own in the sixth end before a clutch shot by Shuster counted two in the eighth for a 5-4 U.S. lead. Russia got the tying point in the 10^th, but Shuster gave his team the victory with a draw to the button.

Winning the opener got the team started on one of its goals for Beijing: getting off to a good start in the round robin. At the 2018 Olympics, the U.S. was on the brink of elimination before a well-timed hot streak carried it to the country's first Olympic gold medal in curling.

Shuster has played in every Winter Games since 2006, but Wednesday night didn't feel routine. As the bagpipes began to play and the teams were introduced, he couldn't help but be emotional, standing on the ice with teammates who feel more like brothers.

"It's just incredible to get the chance to represent your country at the Olympic Games, and with five of my best friends,'' he said. "We were in our village apartment before the event started, and we kind of looked around and thought about how grateful we were. Having this opportunity, the six of us who are so close, it's really incredible.''