Skating’s brightest stars return

Olympians in Victoria in May for Stars on Ice

What has been described as Canada’s greatest generation of skaters, accounting for two gold medals and four overall this year at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, is returning mostly intact to Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre next year.

Stars on Ice will perform May 14 at the Memorial Centre to continue its annual run, which began the year the facility opened in 2005.

This year’s show on Blanshard in May concluded with the seven members of Canada’s team-event gold medal from Pyeongchang receiving a standing ovation from the capacity crowd of 6,889 after skating, rather appropriately, to Fields of Gold by Sting. The seven gathered for an emotive group hug at centre ice following the segment, forever united by their golden Olympic moment.

Missing next year from that entourage will be the retired-fornow two-time Olympic goldmedallist ice-dancing pair of Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue, who were the Canadian flagbearers in the opening ceremony at Pyeongchang, before delivering masterful performances in ice dance and in leading Canada to gold in the team event as well.

But four of the other five Canadian gold medallists from the Pyeongchang Olympics team event, which proved Canada’s strength across the board, will return to Blanshard — Patrick Chan, Kaetyln Osmond, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford.

Each have had notable success in their own events.

Chan is three-time men’s world champion and 2014 Sochi Olympics silver medallist, and Osmond the 2018 women’s world champion and Olympic women’s bronze-medallist at Pyeongchang. Duhamel and Radford are two-time world pairs champions and were the Olympic bronze medallists in that event in Pyeongchang.

Some of the biggest Island cheers during the show, however, are always reserved for the golden oldies. Elvis Stojko, who still retains his patented muscular brand of skating, will return with the troupe to Blanshard Street at age 47. The three-time men’s world champion and 1994 Lillehammer and 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games silver medallist helped lay the foundation for the success for the current generation of Canadian skaters.

Also returning to skate in May will be 2006 Turin Olympic bronze-medallist Jeffrey Buttle and world championship silver medallists Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje.

The 12-city 2019 Stars on Ice tour opens April 26 in Halifax and concludes May 16 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Tickets for the Victoria stop went on sale Friday morning at starsonice.ca, selectyourtickets.com and by phone at 250-220-7777.