McCusker's greatest successes in curling came during the years she played second on the team of Sandra Schmirler (skip), Jan Betker (third), and Marcia Gudereit (lead). In 1993, 1994, and 1997 they won the Scott Tournament of Hearts,[1] the Canadian women's championship, the first Canadian women's team to win multiple times with the same lineup.[2] As the Tournament of Hearts champions McCusker's team went on to represent Canada at the World Curling Championships three times and won each time.[3] At the 1998 Winter Olympics McCusker and the rest of the Schmirler rink represented Canada, defeating Denmark to win the gold medal.[2] The success of the team of Schmirler, McCusker, Betker, and Gudereit came to an abrupt end in 2000 when Schmirler died of cancer.[4]
In 2000 McCusker and her teammates were inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.[1] In 2019 McCusker and her Olympic teammates were named the greatest female Canadian curling team of all time as part of a TSN poll of broadcasters, reporters and top curlers.[5]
McCusker grew up with her 6 siblings on a farm near Saltcoats, Saskatchewan.[6] She comes from a family of curlers and her sisters Cathy Trowell and Nancy Inglis have also curled competitively at the provincial and national levels. Her husband Brian is also a curler and is a three time Saskatchewan champion.[7] Joan and Brian have three children.
McCusker was an elementary school teacher until 1998, when she quit to focus on her curling and broadcasting career.[2] Since 2001, McCusker has been part of CBC's curling coverage team,[8] working with Bruce Rainnie and Mike Harris. She also is a motivational speaker.[6]
Norberg, Lund, Lindahl, Svärd, Bergman (SWE)
J. Jones, Lawes, Officer, McEwen, Wall (CAN)
Muirhead, Wright, Dodds, Duff, Smith (GBR)
