BATTLE OF THE BLADES wraps up its fourth season

Amanda Evora and Scott Thornton were crowned Season 4 champions! “The time of my life” is how Amanda described her Battle of the Blades experience. For Scott Thornton, ‘rewarding’ is what this has meant to him. Also rewarding (to the tune of $100,000) is the donation to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the charity they both supported. Marie-France Dubreuil’s efforts are also helping the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Mathieu Dandenault’s supported the Montreal Canadien’s Children’s Foundation and what that means is a shared $30,000 donation from the team by placing third.

Supporting charity has been the driving force behind the show for the skaters. Finishing in second place for Violetta Afanasieva and Jason Strudwick earned a shared $35,000 for the Humane Society of Kawartha Lakes and the Edmonton Inner City Children’s program respectively. “The joy of communicating with the audience” is how Violetta expresses the best thing about her Battle of the Blades experience.

This years competitors:

Violetta Afanasieva and Jason Strudwick: 

In 2006, Afanasieva won the first Extreme Ice Skating World Championships with her Canadian husband, Peter Dack. Strudwick played with the New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers over his 14-year NHL career.

Charities: Humane Society of Kawartha Lakes (Afanasieva) and Edmonton Inner City Children’s Program (Strudwick)

Shae-Lynn Bourne and Anson Carter: 

Bourne is a 10-time Canadian Ice Dance champion and three-time Olympian. Carter, from Scarborough, played 16 NHL seasons for a variety of teams, including the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers.

Charities: World Vision Starting Strong Program (Bourne) and Shirt off My Back (Carter)

Jessica Dubé and Brian Savage: 

Dubé is world pair bronze medallist, three-time Canadian champ and two-time Olympian. Savage is an Olympic silver medallist and was assistant captain of the Montreal Canadiens for nine seasons during his 12-year NHL career.

Charities: Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (Dubé) and 10 Rainbows Children’s Foundation, Meghan’s Wings (Savage)

Marie-France Dubreuil and Mathieu Dandenault: 

Returning from seasons 1 and 3, Dubreuil, a five-time Canadian national ice dance champion, is paired with Dandenault who was a had a storied 13-year NHL career as a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Detroit Red Wings.

Charities: Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (Dubreuil) and Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation (Dandenault)

Amanda Evora and Scott Thornton: 

Evora is a two-time U.S. pairs silver medallist and the first Filipino-American to compete in the Winter Olympics. Thornton totalled more than 1,459 penalty minutes over his 17-year NHL career that included a stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Charity: Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

Marcy Hinzmann and Mike Krushelnyski: 

Hinzmann, returning from Season 3 of Blades, is a two-time U.S pairs medallist and Olympian. Krushelnyski is a winner of three Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers.

Charity: NHL Alumni Hockey’s Greatest Family

Oksana Kazakova and Vladimir Malakhov: 

Oksana Kazakova is the 1998 Olympic pairs gold medallist. Malakhov played with the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers.

Charity: iOrphan

Sinead Kerr and Grant Marshall:

Kerr is a two-time Olympian and seven-time British ice dance champion. Grant Marshall overcame temporary paralysis as a junior hockey player to play 700 NHL games and win the Stanley Cup twice.

Charities: Autism Speaks Canada (Kerr) and Parachute (Grant)

Both Kerr and Marshall say it was easy to choose where they would send the money if they won the title.Kerr has a 30-year-old brother, David, who lives with autism and as being cared for by her parents in her native Scotland.

In 1990, Marshall was temporarily paralyzed by a check to the boards while playing with the Ottawa 67’s. He was told he would never play hockey again but recovered and earned 239 points in 700 NHL games.

Parachute, his charity of choice, is a national charitable organization dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives.