Valeri Bure, former NHL hockey player and father of three, found a new appreciation for figure skating after joining the hit TV series Battle of the Blades. But he says it wasn’t easy to make the switch from professional hockey to skating alongside former world champion figure skater Ekaterina Gordeeva.
“It’s so different, in all aspects, not only the skating, the preparation and the presentation while you’re doing it in front of a live audience. It’s a very difficult thing to do.”
Bure told The Epoch Times that the figure skating aspect of Battle of the Blades takes him very much out of his comfort zone as it has completely different demands from hockey. In hockey it’s all about explosive energy and fast recovery, while figure skating focuses more on strength, a difference Bure says he loves.
Battle of the Blades is a Canadian live broadcast show that launched its first season on CBC last October and managed to reel in over 1.7 million viewers. In the show, former male professional hockey players are matched with former pro female figure skaters, and the pairs compete for the affection of judges as well as the television audience.
Bure says he feels fortunate to be working with double-gold medallist Ekaterina (Katia) Gordeeva. “If you put anybody next to her, she’ll make them look good.”
Little by little, Gordeeva is pushing the ex-NHLer to do the best he can, and he says he’s “starting to enjoy being up there.”
“It’s so different, in all aspects, not only the skating, the preparation and the presentation while you’re doing it in front of a live audience. It’s a very difficult thing to do.”
Bure told The Epoch Times that the figure skating aspect of Battle of the Blades takes him very much out of his comfort zone as it has completely different demands from hockey. In hockey it’s all about explosive energy and fast recovery, while figure skating focuses more on strength, a difference Bure says he loves.
Battle of the Blades is a Canadian live broadcast show that launched its first season on CBC last October and managed to reel in over 1.7 million viewers. In the show, former male professional hockey players are matched with former pro female figure skaters, and the pairs compete for the affection of judges as well as the television audience.
Bure says he feels fortunate to be working with double-gold medallist Ekaterina (Katia) Gordeeva. “If you put anybody next to her, she’ll make them look good.”
Little by little, Gordeeva is pushing the ex-NHLer to do the best he can, and he says he’s “starting to enjoy being up there.”
Bure says his newfound appreciation for the sport, which blossomed as he trained with Gordeeva in Detroit in preparation for the show, surprised even himself.
But what do his former NHL buddies think? According to Bure, several hockey friends are talking about competing in next season’s Battle of the Blades. He says his wife, actress Candace Cameron Bure, and their three children, Natasha, Lev, and Maksim, are also loyal fans who cheer him on from their home in California.
“I never hear Candace or the kids say, ‘Hey, come on back.’ Not that they don’t miss me, but they make me feel like they want me to do well on the show and work hard, and I won’t worry about what’s going on at home.”
Bure’s performance hasn’t hurt the cause. He’s had several near-flawless performances and has pushed the envelope with some demanding footwork. He and Gordeeva are among three pairs that will compete in the finale of this season’s Battle of the Blades on Sunday and Monday, after winning a tense “skate off” last week against former NHL tough guy Kelly Chase and his partner Kyoko Ina.
Between the preparation and filming, the athletes have invested upwards of five months into the competition. The winners will take home a trophy, and $100,000 will go to the charity of their choice.
Bure is skating for Compassion Canada, the world’s leading Christian child development ministry.
The experience has lead Candace to see her husband in a new light.
“I’m so impressed by him,” she says. “He has completely wowed me during this show. I’m rooting for a whole new career in figure skating for him.”
Candace is perhaps best known as DJ Tanner from the popular 90’s sitcom Full House. Introduced by David Coulier at a charity hockey game in LA, where Candace worked on Full House and Valeri and brother Pavel Bure trained for hockey, the couple hit it off from day one. Candace became Mrs. Bure in 1996.
After taking a full 10 years off from acting to travel and support Bure during his NHL career and to raise their children, Candace returned to Hollywood and now stars in an ABC Family’s drama series Make It or Break It, which premiered last summer.
“Some days I’m running around like a chicken with its head cut off,” says Candace about her schedule.
“Being a mom is my first priority,” she adds. No matter how busy she gets with work, she makes time for all the meetings and hockey games, the school events and parties.
During her time as a stay-at-home mom, Candace worked on a book “Reshaping it all” which she will launch this coming January. In the book, she shares her views on maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle through incorporating belief and physical activity.
Maintaining a grounded family life while in the spotlight can be tough, but Candace says she finds stability in her Christian faith, which she also teaches her kids.
During Bure’s NHL days, the family lived in Montreal and Calgary. “I love Canadians,” says Candace. “They’re just very very nice, open, friendly people.”
She recalled the hospitality of Calgary fans who invited the couple over for dinner after they had newly arrived in the city. “You just don’t get that in LA, you don’t get that kind of reception.”
The final performance of Battle of the Blades airs Sunday night at 8 p.m. local time, followed by the finale on Monday night at the same time.
But what do his former NHL buddies think? According to Bure, several hockey friends are talking about competing in next season’s Battle of the Blades. He says his wife, actress Candace Cameron Bure, and their three children, Natasha, Lev, and Maksim, are also loyal fans who cheer him on from their home in California.
“I never hear Candace or the kids say, ‘Hey, come on back.’ Not that they don’t miss me, but they make me feel like they want me to do well on the show and work hard, and I won’t worry about what’s going on at home.”
Bure’s performance hasn’t hurt the cause. He’s had several near-flawless performances and has pushed the envelope with some demanding footwork. He and Gordeeva are among three pairs that will compete in the finale of this season’s Battle of the Blades on Sunday and Monday, after winning a tense “skate off” last week against former NHL tough guy Kelly Chase and his partner Kyoko Ina.
Between the preparation and filming, the athletes have invested upwards of five months into the competition. The winners will take home a trophy, and $100,000 will go to the charity of their choice.
Bure is skating for Compassion Canada, the world’s leading Christian child development ministry.
The experience has lead Candace to see her husband in a new light.
“I’m so impressed by him,” she says. “He has completely wowed me during this show. I’m rooting for a whole new career in figure skating for him.”
Candace is perhaps best known as DJ Tanner from the popular 90’s sitcom Full House. Introduced by David Coulier at a charity hockey game in LA, where Candace worked on Full House and Valeri and brother Pavel Bure trained for hockey, the couple hit it off from day one. Candace became Mrs. Bure in 1996.
After taking a full 10 years off from acting to travel and support Bure during his NHL career and to raise their children, Candace returned to Hollywood and now stars in an ABC Family’s drama series Make It or Break It, which premiered last summer.
“Some days I’m running around like a chicken with its head cut off,” says Candace about her schedule.
“Being a mom is my first priority,” she adds. No matter how busy she gets with work, she makes time for all the meetings and hockey games, the school events and parties.
During her time as a stay-at-home mom, Candace worked on a book “Reshaping it all” which she will launch this coming January. In the book, she shares her views on maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle through incorporating belief and physical activity.
Maintaining a grounded family life while in the spotlight can be tough, but Candace says she finds stability in her Christian faith, which she also teaches her kids.
During Bure’s NHL days, the family lived in Montreal and Calgary. “I love Canadians,” says Candace. “They’re just very very nice, open, friendly people.”
She recalled the hospitality of Calgary fans who invited the couple over for dinner after they had newly arrived in the city. “You just don’t get that in LA, you don’t get that kind of reception.”
The final performance of Battle of the Blades airs Sunday night at 8 p.m. local time, followed by the finale on Monday night at the same time.
