Hardie leaves with two Olympic silvers, two World Championships and a couple of European crowns, as well as a record 12 Grand Slam titles. And with memories and bonds to last a lifetime.
Several emotional chats with team-mates Mouat, Bobby Lammie and cousin Hammy McMillan have presaged this announcement, with the latter warning he has already been doing the rounds of their family to claim their support in the new era.
McMillan’s uncle – Hardie’s dad – was his first port of call. The claim is delivered in jest – with Lammie insisting it’s never too soon for the jibes – and there has been no fallout.
Indeed, the quartet will be together later on Monday at the Pride of Scotland Awards, with Hardie, McMillan and Lammie going on a golf holiday later in the week before the cousins depart for a last-minute trip to the World Cup.
“Most curling teams last about four years, but we’ve lasted nine,” McMillan said. “And it’s been a brilliant nine years, even if it’s a sad ending.”
But were there a few tears, just like on the podium in Cortina?
“It’s kind of a touchy subject, because I’m still getting a slagging for that, but there were a few tears, yeah,” Hardie admitted.
“We had so much success together and so many great memories, so it’s hard to walk away from that.
“The easy thing might have been to just say, ‘you know, let’s carry on, keep working on things, we’ll get back there in four years and get the right medal’. But I didn’t want the next four years to be entirely about that one moment, one medal.”
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