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Meet the new Battle of the Blades teams
| Source: |
Toronto Star |
| Date: |
September 6, 2010 |
| Author: |
Raju Mudhar |
It is a scene that plays out at rinks across the land every
winter. Newbies step on the ice, gingerly, testing their balance. Then
the experienced whip by, showing just how it's done.
The difference here is that it's a scorcher of a day in May, and the
participants all know and love the ice well. At the Lakeshore Lions
Arena in Toronto's west end, it's the Season 2 Battle of the Blades
boot camp, where former NHL players take their first furtive steps
into figure skating.
A phenomenal ratings success in its first season last year, Battle of
the Blades's unlikely pairing of hockey players and figure skaters was
a reality TV slam dunk for the CBC. This year, the Star got an
exclusive look at most of the new season's participants, many of whom
were meeting for the first time that day in May.
A loud "whooom!" echoes across the arena as P.J. Stock slams into the
boards after losing his balance. It's one of three times the
gregarious Hot Stove participant wipes out in the two-hour on-ice
session.
"What, you couldn't tell it was my first time? Slamming head first
into the boards was a pretty good clue," Stock jokes
afterward. 'Actually, my hardest fall was standing in one spot, and I
fell straight down.'
Of the five hockey participants here — Stock, Theo Fleury, Russ
Courtnall, Kelly Chase and Valeri Bure — Fleury seems most comfortable
at this early stage in the competition. (Patrice Brisebois, Todd
Warriner and Georges Laraque would sign on later and round out the NHL
contingent.) Fleury has been practising for three weeks.
He ran into Jamie Sale at a fundraiser earlier in the year and she
suggested he come on the show. He contacted the CBC and since then
he's earned the ringer spot: He's already trying more advanced
tricks. He admits that his first time on the new skates he, too, took
some falls.
Many players cite the challenge of trying something new as their
reason for being on the series, but Fleury, who has battled addiction
and personal demons, sees it as a different kind of
opportunity.
"This fits perfectly into my life now. You know, it's kind of a way of
letting people know, I feel great, my life is back in order," he
says. 'I always have a smile on my face, it's just an opportunity for
all those people who supported me throughout the years, to maybe say
thank you and say, 'I'm back, and here I am.'"
On the ice, the guys start doing laps and begin pairing off with the
women, who help them get comfortable. They start practising the most
minor of tricks, and it's obvious the competitive drive still burns
within all these world-class athletes.
"When I decided to retire from competitive figure skating, I was like,
'Well, who's going to lift me? Who's going to throw me around?' And,
this brings that fire back in my life," says Anabelle Langlois, who
joins the show fresh off competing at the Vancouver Olympics. While
many women are returning from the first season — Sale, Shae-Lynn
Bourne, Christine Hough-Sweeney, Isabelle Brasseur — the new additions
include Langlois, Kyoko Ina, Violetta Afanasieva, an extreme figure
skating champion, and Ekaterina Gordeeva, who is generally
acknowledged as figure skating royalty.
With Bure on the men's side, the show now has a perfect set-up as a
cross-sport Summit Series. "The Russians are coming is going to be one
of the themes. If they make it out of training camp," jokes Stock. "I
saw Rocky IV. If I can change, if you can change, we can all
change."
Bure credits his wife, former Full House actress Candace Cameron, with
encouraging him to go on the show. He hopes they put him together with
Gordeeva.
"Who wouldn't want to partner with her? Absolutely. She's just a
phenomenal skater," he says. "But it would be fun to pair up with
her. For us, we have sort of a chemistry going back. We went to the
same school, she was in the same class as my brother. We always
practised on the same rink, so we grew up together. I watched her and
Sergei (Grinkov, her late partner) literally skate for the first
time. Now, maybe I`ll be skating with her."
It was still unknown in May who would partner with whom, but executive
producer John Brunton said some lobbying had already begun.
This season, the series moves from Maple Leaf Gardens to a waterfront
studio, and Brunton said there will be other changes.
"I can't tell you yet, but there's some twists and turns in terms of
how the competition is going to play out," he says. "One change, for
sure, is that we didn't show a lot of the blood, sweat and tears last
year. We didn't show the injuries that some people were going through
or some of the bad accidents. Part of it is that we were really
interested in focusing on what was on the ice.
"But afterward, we thought, what they all went through was
unbelievable. I mean, they'd take their skates off and their feet are
bleeding. So we are going to see more of that preparation."
As a perfect example of that, the skaters and crew headed to a nearby
gym, where the hockey players got their first taste of a lift
class.
"Last year, we didn't even think there would be any lifts in the first
season and we got one in the first episode," says Kurt Browning, who
returns as host. "Already, these guys are better on skates, but they
are a smaller group. Last year's guys were really super strong, so
we'll see if the lifts are as good as last year, but the skating is
really high."
A crew of coaches, including former champion pairs skater Paul
Martini, start going through the basics. Langlois is the guinea pig as
she is hoisted up to demonstrate a series of lifts. The last is a
butt-lift, which draws some snickers, but from her perch, she
reassures: "Really, his hand is in my butt."
"One of the lessons the guys really have to learn is that if something
bad is going to happen, they really are supposed to try and protect
their partners above all," says Bourne. "Like you learn that they're
supposed to try and take the brunt of a fall. That's part of the trust
between partners."
Taking a closer look at these beautiful women, you can see the scars
from previous incidents. But they just chalk it up to their
sport.
"I think most figure skaters are fearless and crazy in that sense,
when it comes to lifts," says Ina. "I probably trust my partner
probably more than he trusts himself at this point. But that's
okay."
Season 2 of Battle of the Blades starts Sept. 26 on
CBC.
WHO'S WHO ON ICE
Hockey players
Patrice Brisebois: The longtime Montreal Canadiens defenceman
retired in 2009 after becoming the third longest-standing Habs player,
playing 896 games for the team. Since leaving hockey, he's tried his
hand at NASCAR racing.
Valeri Bure: One of the themes this year is that the Russians
are coming, and Bure fits the bill on the guys' side. The 10-year vet
retired in 2004 and credits his wife, former Full House star Candace
Cameron Bure, with encouraging him to try the show out.
Russ Courtnall: The quick-skating forward played for 15 years
for several teams, including the Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Canucks and
Kings.
Kelly Chase: The enforcer from Porcupine Plains, Sask., spent
most of his career with the St. Louis Blues, where he was known for
his quick wit, which has aided in his post-playing career as a radio
colour commentator.
Theo Fleury: The diminutive forward played more than 1,000
games in the NHL with four teams, and was known for his scoring touch
and physical play. He won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in
1989 and Olympic Gold for Team Canada in 2002.
Georges Laraque: The giant enforcer most recently played for
the Montreal Canadiens but, since retiring, has also become the deputy
leader of the Green Party of Canada.
P.J. Stock: The scrappy player skated for the Rangers,
Canadiens, Bruins and Flyers during his NHL career but is likely as
well known for appearing on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada and the Hot
Stove report.
Todd Warriner: The journeyman forward was also a former Leaf,
who holds the distinction of being the first man to score a goal at
the Air Canada Centre.
Figure skaters
Violetta Afanasieva: The Russian skater competed nationally in
pairs and singles, and performed on skating tours.
Shae-Lynn Bourne: The Chatham-born ice dancer returns to the
series after finishing second last season.
Isabelle Brasseur: Paired with Glenn Anderson last year,
Brasseur returns to the series.
Jamie Salé: Newly single — she recently divorced partner and
husband David Pelletier — the 2002 Canadian Olympic Gold medallist
returns for the second season of the show.
Ekaterina Gordeeva: Known as Katia, the Russian Gordeeva is
considered figure skating royalty. She won 1988 and 1994 Olympic Gold
with her partner, the late Sergei Grinkov.
Christine Hough-Sweeney: The former Canadian champion and
two-time Olympic competitor returns to the series.
Kyoko Ina: The Japanese-American was a five-time U.S. pairs
figure skating champion and two-time Olympic competitor.
Anabelle Langlois: The 2008 Canadian National champion is
joining the show after finishing ninth in the Vancouver
Olympics.
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