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Bonhomme makes Battle history

Sep 26, 2011

What have we gotten ourselves into, Canada? We saw the last of our eight Battle of the Blades III pairs skate on Monday night and one thing's for certain: we're in for one heckuva season.

Tessa Bonhomme made Battle of the Blades history as the first female hockey player to perform on the show.

With partner David Pelletier, Bonhomme performed to "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar. The program featured a beautiful death spiral along with a fully-extended platter lift.

"The boys in this competition ought to be very, very nervous right now," said judge Jeremy Roenick, following the skate.

"And folks," added head-judge Sandra Bezic, "the forward inside death spiral? David did not do that. YOU did, Tessa. And that's something that women take years to learn."
For their performance, the pair earned the highest score of this season's competition: 17.0.

Kim Navarro and Russ Courtnall also performed Monday, dedicating their skate to the late Wade Belak. Having only had two weeks to prepare, Navarro and Courtnall skated to "Hero" by Chad Kroeger.

Courtnall, who was stepping in to fill the space left by Belak in the competition, had performed to "Hero" in honour of his father in season 2. Returning this year, he said the song now held even more meaning.

For the pair's graceful and heartfelt skate, the judges awarded Courtnall and Navarro a score of 16.7.

Bezic was moved to tears, telling Courtnall, "two weeks ago when you stepped in, in a moment you lifted our spirits, Russ. And then, what the two of you have been through these past two weeks to get here ... You are an inspiration, you are a role model as a son, as a father and as a friend. And on behalf of all Canadians, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Elena Berezhnaya and Curtis Leschyshyn skated second, performing to "Animal" by Neon Trees. Although their lifts were clean and their program energetic, the real star of the show was undoubtedly Leschyshyn's footwork.

"[That footwork] in unison is one of the hardest things for hockey players to pick up, so congratulations on that," Bezic said.

The judges awarded the pair 16.4 for their efforts.

Third on the ice on Monday was Marcy Hinzmann-Harris with the charismatic Todd Simpson. Simpson, a team captain during his days in the NHL, is fast becoming known for his "Blades of Glory" emulation off the ice and has been showcasing a new figure skating themed t-shirt in each day of training.

"I was really surprised at how well that you skated," said Roenick following the duo's performance to "Fire" by Raghav. Along with Bezic and guest judge Darcy Tucker, he awarded Simpson and Hinzmann-Harris a combined score of 16.5.