Opposites on Ice Find a New Rhythm Together
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
Published: November 10, 2009
DETROIT — It now seems like such a brilliantidea that it is a surprise no one had thought of it before: pairingfigure skaters with hockey players for ice dancing routines in theultimate ice rink reality show. Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image
 CBC/Insight
Christine Hough-Sweeney and the former N.H.L. enforcer Tie Domi were eliminated last week from “Battle of the Blades.”
Claude Lemieux and Shae-Lynn Bourne are among the final three couples competing in the CBC's “Battle of the Blades.”
That’s what the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has done this fall with “Battle of the Blades,”a huge hit across Canada that has captured a following in United Statesborder towns like Detroit, whose cable systems show CBC programs.
“It’sreally great that these two sports that have had to share hockey rinksacross Canada can finally get along,” the program’s co-host, the formerOlympic skater Kurt Browning, said on the opening telecast.
The premiere of “Blades” on Oct. 4 drew 1.95 million Canadian viewers,the second-highest figure for an original Canadian show, according toThe Hollywood Reporter. It is averaging about 1.5 million viewers aweek.
Each pair is composed of a former N.H.L. player and aCanadian figure skating star, including Olympic, world and nationalchampions.
Every week, the pairs learn a new dance routine,performed in front of an audience at the old Maple Leaf Gardens inToronto, brought back to life for the program. The routines are judgedby a panel using the old 6-point scoring system. The overall winningpair receives $100,000 for a favorite charity.
Three pairs now survive from the original eight: Craig Simpson and Jamie Salé, Claude Lemieux and Shae-Lynn Bourne, and Marie-France Dubreuil and Stéphane Richer. They will compete Sunday.
Simpson and Salé have the highest fan vote totals, according to the “Blades” Web site. Salé won Olympic gold with pairs partner David Pelletier, now her husband. Pelletier is a coach on the program.
“None of us have ever really had that moment where it’s just you,” said Simpson, who played with Pittsburgh, Edmonton and Buffalo. “You don’t have your stick in your hand, and you can’t hit anybody.”
Theregular judges are Dick Button, a two-time Olympic champion who is alongtime skating commentator, and Sandra Bezic, a renowned skatingchoreographer and former pairs skater. There is also a rotating groupof guest judges.
Last week, the guest judges were the Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi and her husband, Bret Hedican, a former N.H.L. player who competed against many of the “Blades” participants.
Once the judges’ scores are in, viewers vote by telephone, text message or on the Web.
Pairs who do not survive are “iced” and appear Tuesday night on “The Hour,” a late-night program hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, Canada’s version of Jimmy Kimmel, who served as a guest judge.
The show’s co-hosts are Browning and Ron MacLean, who is part of the “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcasting team.
Thosewho did not know MacLean was once a hockey referee were startled on thefirst night to see him barrel down the ice and come to a fast stop infront of the cameras.
Since then, MacLean and Browning have also gotten in on the action, appearing last week as members of the Blues Brothers, replete with fedoras and sunglasses.
Button,who like the other judges is overwhelmingly positive in his criticism,said he had been surprised by the outcome. “Whether on hockey skates orfigure skates, or what they’re on, it’s been a joy to see,” he saidlast week.
But no matter the enthusiasm, the skating is a farcry from the artistry shown by Olympic and professional figure skaters.There is no getting past the fact that hockey players are trained to befast and aggressive, rather than lithe and creative, and that many arebetter known for being fighters than the lovers they are asked toportray.
Much joshing took place at the beginning of “Blades” — for instance, about a potential brawl between two longtime rivals, Tie Domi and Bob Probert, known for mixing it up during their careers.
TheseN.H.L. veterans seem particularly bent on lifts, death spirals andhurling about the female skaters, rather than triple axels or camelspins. But there have been surprising bursts when the hockey players’skating was on a par with the pros’.
On Nov. 2, Simpson and Saléearned straight 5.9s from the judges for a lively routine set to thebossa nova from “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.”
“You could take that performance on the road, it was so entertaining,” Yamaguchi told them.
Thewomen wear conventional skating costumes — skimpy and spangly — but themen, for the most part, have been spared the Spandex and satin pants,although Domi made his final appearance in a short-sleeved pink shirt.
Incontrast to his reputation, Domi appeared to choke up while makingfarewell remarks after he and his partner, the Canadian nationalchampion Christine Hough-Sweeney, were iced Nov. 2.
He emotionally thanked his castmates and the makeup crew, hair stylists and wardrobe ladies before MacLean gently cut him off.
Theevening before, Yamaguchi seemed to sum up Domi’s experience, saying,“I never thought I’d ever say you looked cute on the ice.”
Kristi Yamaguchi和她今年退役的冰球运动员老公，在上个星期作了客席裁判，她很幽默的对参赛者之一的Domi，枫叶队的名打手说：“我每次在冰面上看到你都是在你扁我老公的时候，想不到也有可爱的一面” |
显身卡
楼主
