Verteeg (left) with his partner Carlotta Edwards (CBC Television)

By Justin Goulet

Lethbridge’s Versteeg competing for a cause on Battle of the Blades

Oct 4, 2020 | 8:00 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge’s own Kris Versteeg is headed back to the ice.

The two-time Stanley Cup champion who played multiple seasons in the NHL is set to compete on this season of CBC’s Battle of the Blades.

The reality competition show sees groups of professional figure skaters teaming with professional hockey players for a chance to win the season and a $100,000 donation to the charities of their choice.

“I had a good friend of mine who’s been doing Battle of the Blades; he was a judge on the show in the past, Colby Armstrong. He called me and asked me to do it,” Versteeg told Lethbridge News Now.

He said after taking a month to think about it, he decided to give the show a shot.

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“As time went on, it seemed like I wasn’t going to be doing much this winter and it seemed like a good opportunity to try something new and for a good cause, so about a month and a half ago I agreed to do the show.”

Versteeg will team with Dancing on Ice competitor Carlotta Edwards, originally from the Haida Gwaii area of British Columbia.

“She’s been great to work with. She’s from out west, too, so we have that in common and she’s really easy to work with and obviously very talented, so it’s been a lot of fun,” he said about his partner.

Versteeg added that the training has been difficult and has included a lot of edge work, lifts and holds.

“A lot of it starts off the ice; learning how to do lifts, learning how to do holds and then they bring it on to the ice and obviously you gotta learn how to dance a little bit too, and I’m not the best dancer by any means,” he said with a laugh.

“It’s been interesting that way but all in all, trying to stick to the beat – that’s been the biggest part of training, is being able to be on cue and lift a human being while you’re on skates.”

When talking about the transition from ice skates to figure skates, Versteeg said the difference is very noticeable.

“Being in figure skates is like walking on the moon compared to ice skates. It’s completely different, the stride’s different – the only thing that would be similar would be the edge control at times, but even then, the way they lean their bodies and things like that is so much different,” he said.

“They’re [figure skaters] actually so much more talented on skates than we [hockey players] are. It’s wild actually, to be seeing it up close and personal. You see them on TV, and you know, even maybe before hockey practice and stuff and you might think it’s easy or whatever and you try to do half the stuff [but] you can’t do it. It’s been humbling but a pretty unbelievable experience in that sense.”

HELPING THE COMMUNITY

Versteeg’s partner Carlotta Edwards will be participating on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area, while he will compete for the Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society, based out of Lethbridge.

“When [Carlotta and I] actually first talked and talked about charities, we both had very similar ideas on charities we wanted to represent, hers being the Big Brothers Big Sisters Calgary. Obviously, early intervention and helping kids from a young age and having good role models is huge,” he said.

“For myself, my best friends [are] Indigenous, all from Treaty 7, from Colton Yellow Horn [to] Wacey Rabbit to Judd Blackwater, [they] are good friends of mine. Understanding, you know, the communities and how they need help, especially early intervention, it seemed to be the right thing for myself to be a part of and bring a spotlight to at the moment.”

Versteeg said he may look a bit silly busting out the dance moves on the ice, but he’s excited to put the focus on a local cause.

“This is really just about the charities you’re representing and trying to raise money and awareness. I’m gonna look pretty stupid, I’m sure (laughs), everyone’s going to be able to laugh at my expense but all in all, you do it for a cause and for a reason and hopefully it helps out a little bit.”

This season’s competitors, in addition to Versteeg and Edwards, are:

• Jessica Campbell and Asher Hill
• Violetta Afanasieva and Anthony Stewart
• Kaitlyn Weaver and Bryan Bickell
• Meghan Agosta and Andrew Poje
• Vanessa James and Akim Aliu
• Jennifer Botterill and Eric Radford
• Meagan Duhamel and Wojtek Wolski

The new season of Battle of Blades airs on CBC and premieres October 15, 2020.

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