Greatest Brier shots of all time

From Al Hackner to Glenn Howard, the Canadian men's curling championship has had plenty of terrific and memorable shots. Take a look at some of the best right here.

1985 – The Miracle in Moncton

In today’s game a thin double is tough, but not impossible. However, 35 years ago a shot like that was rarely attempted, let alone executed.

Northern Ontario’s Al Hackner didn’t have a choice in the 1985 Brier final against Alberta’s Pat Ryan. After making a great takeout with his last stone in the 10th end, Ryan raised his broom in the air seemingly with the game in hand.

All the Thunder Bay skip had to stay alive was a thin double.

“It’s about a thousand to one shot,” said the commentator.

The stoic Ice Man made it flawlessly, stunning his opponent, the commentators and everybody in attendance.

“Can you believe that?!” screamed the commentator over the cheering fans in attendance at the Moncton Coliseum. “That is the most fantastic shot I’ve seen in curling!”

Hackner’s miraculous two spot tied the game at 5-5 and sent the championship tilt to an all deciding extra end. Ryan was too heavy on his last stone in the 11th, giving Hackner the steal and improbable second Tankard victory.

1998 – Money Middaugh

Wayne Middaugh is one of the best shot makers to ever step on the pebbled ice and that was no more apparent during his extensive time as a skip.

Maybe the best of his career came at the 1998 Brier in Winnipeg. Middaugh’s Ontario rink had the hammer in the fourth end, leading Manitoba’s Dale Duguid.

In order to score five, and effectively ending the game, Middaugh needed to ricochet off a Manitoba stone just outside the rings before hitting two of his own hard enough to knock Duguid’s stone out of the four-foot.

Boom…Boom…Boom…Bang. Mission accomplished.

Ontario scored five in the end and eventually won 10-5.

A few days later, Middaugh defeated Quebec’s Guy Hemmings in the final to win his first Brier Tankard as a skip.

1999 – “You’re the best, buddy!”

During his heyday, nobody was more popular than Quebec’s Guy Hemmings.

Despite never winning a Canadian championship, Hemmings has had his moments with the most memorable coming in the 1999 Brier semi-final against Saskatchewan’s Gerald Shymko.

The game was tied at 5-5 in the extra end with Hemmings needing a draw to the pin to win and advance to the Brier final for the second consecutive year. The shot needed perfection from all four members as missing the broom by an inch or having one too many brush strokes would end in disaster.

Hemmings’ shot and the judge by the sweepers could not have been better and it sent the fans at the Skyreach Centre in Edmonton into delirium.

“You’re the best, buddy!” third Pierre Charette yelled to his skip during the celebration.

And on this day, Hemmings definitely was.

2009 – Glenn Howard Stuns Saskatchewan

It’s not every day that you can leave your Brier champion brother speechless with a curling shot. 

It was Draw 8 of the 2009 Brier from Calgary and Ontario’s Glenn Howard was in grave danger of dropping his first game of the week to Saskatchewan. Moose Jaw’s Joel Jordison held a 6-4 advantage and was sitting two with Howard having one rock remaining in the final end.

“I remember Richard Hart and I were looking at this situation,” Howard told TSN.ca earlier this season. “I said ‘Rich, there has to be something here.’ And literally the two of us at the same time thought, ‘wow if I hit this rock here and this one sticks over here and it goes over here, there’s a chance we might get three out of this.’

It was incredibly difficult, but it was there. Including the shooter, five rocks needed to be involved with five different hits or ricochets.

Here’s a blueprint for the multi-staged shot:   

Howard made them all to score three and win the contest 7-6.

“Oh my! Oh my! Oh my!” TSN’s Vic Rauter screamed after the shot.

Why else can you say after seeing greatness?

Glenn’s older brother Russ was skipping New Brunswick that week and gave his sibling a slow clap all the while having a look of disbelief on his face.

Simply, one of the greatest curling throws ever.