LONDON, Ont. -- With pressure-sensitive handles and sensors buried in the ice, hog-line violations are an easy call at the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier.
Lyle Muyres wishes that technology was available 25 years ago. It might have spared him some stress.
In 1986, Muyres was the skip of the Saskatchewan rink at the Brier in Kitchener. Hog-line violations back then were called by officials stationed at the hog lines.
Muyres' rink had several rocks pulled during the week, despite video evidence supplied by a fan in the stands.
"I only had two pulled, but they were important ones," recalled Muyres, the coach for Steve Laycock's rink that includes Muyres' son Dallan at lead. "It is something that sticks with you. It would have been nice to have this technology back then, but I don't know if the results would have been any different."
Muyres actually finished tied for third that year at 7-4, but lost a tiebreaker to Barry McPhee of B.C. And he's not about to play any "what if" games.
"What if I could draw and hit better?" he said, laughing. "I might have got to another Brier."
steve.green@sunmedia.ca
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