Let’s Talk…Male Figure Skaters. Or just one in particular.

I was home sick yesterday.  Yuck.

But I did have a highlight to my day.  And believe it or not, it involved a male figure skater.  And he is going to be the topic of my discussion today on Talk  To Us Tuesday, hosted by Impulsive Addict and Shawn!!

First of all:  MY FRIEND SHEENA FIXED MY TV FRIDAY NIGHT!!!  Woooo hoooooooo!!!  Apparently all it was was this little button on the back that had got switched.  Ever since she switched it, it’s been good as gold.  I haven’t had to fiddle with any chords or anything!!  *knock on wood*

So now that my TV is functioning again, I’m back in the TV swing of things.  Monday nights aren’t exactly big TV nights in my world, but last night, with nothing to do but lie on my couch and feel yucky, I tuned in to Battle of the Blades.

For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it’s like Dancing With the Stars, Canadian-style.  They take a bunch of former NHL players and pair them up with world-renowned female figure skaters.  The guys have to train hard, to soften their crusty edges, limber up, and learn how to work the toe-pick. Each contestant is playing for a charity of their choice.  After the judges award their marks, the public gets to vote on who they want to see stay in the game.  Each week, another skating duo are axed, eliminating them from winning the prize money for their charity (I think it’s something like $25,000.)

So this year, Battle of the Blades got off to a rough start when several weeks before the competition was to begin, one of the contestants slated to take part in this season, former NHL tough guy Wade Belak, was found dead.  He allegedly took his own life.

But Battle of the Blades has decided to carry on without him, with former NHL player and former Battle of the Blades competitor Russ Courtnall stepping in to take Wade’s place.  Courtnall’s father committed suicide when he was a young boy, so naturally Wade’s sad and untimely death hit him hard.  He offered to compete in honour of the charity Wade had chosen.

Despite the Belak tragedy, Battle of the Blades has a fun new scenario for the viewers to get excited about.  For the first time, a female pro hockey player is taking part in the contest.  Tessa Bonhomme, an Olympic hockey gold medalist for Canada in 2010, is going up against some of the best female figure skaters in the world.  And lucky ol’ her…she gets paired with David Pelletier.

Man.  Sucks to be her, eh?

So yes.  I’ve had a little crush on David Pelletier since 2002 when he and his partner, Jamie Sale, won gold in pairs figure skating at the Olympics after a giant controversy.  The win threw them into the spotlight, landing them spots on high-profile American talk and comedy shows.  They were, literally, the talk of the Olympic games.

Not long after, I was walking down a sidewalk in Ottawa on my way to school when I spotted them.  They were incognito – dark shades, tuques, hoods.  Clearly not wanting to stop and sign autographs.  Clearly not wanting to be noticed.

But I was starstruck.  I guess I was staring, because as Jamie got closer, she dropped her shades an inch, smiled and winked at me, then followed David as he ran through a crosswalk and ducked into a Starbucks.

One of my very few “celebrity encounters”.

The thing that I love about David Pelletier?  He’s not your typical fruity male figure skater.  You know.  Like this guy.

Literally.  I Googled “Fruity Male Figure Skater”, and this picture came up.

David, on the other hand, looks more like the boy next door.  He’s built.  He’s handsome.  And he has such a great smile.

Of course, I also fell in love with the fact that his on-ice partner was also his real-life love.  Following their big Olympic win, Jamie and David truly became Canada’s sweethearts when they got married and started a family.

Like, seriously.  How hot is HE?!?!  Don’t you agree?   In this case, it’s gotta be okay to have a crush on a male figure skater, right??

I mean, just look at his arms.

And just look at him with his baby boy, Jesse!!!

You know me… A hot man holding a baby…

I die.

So there’s some bad news.  While Jamie and David are still skating partners, and both still working for Battle of the Blades (in the past she’s been the contestant while he’s been a trainer – this year, obviously, the roles are reversed) – they divorced in 2010.  My heart broke a little at this news.

BUT.  There’s a silver lining here.  Because David is now SINGLE (as far as  I know). 

And that, of course, makes watching him on Battle of the Blades that much more fun.

Naturally, he and Tessa got the highest marks from the judges out of all the performances this week. 

My David’s gonna win this thing. :)