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Jeffrey Buttle's figure skating bronze medal in Turin was predictable.
It was certainly predicted in Hockey Hall of Famer Red Kelly's household. His wife, Andra, is a former North American champion. Their daughter Casey is one of Canada's international figure skating judges. Red himself is an avid figure skating buff. Consequently, the Kelly gang should know something about figure skating
About four years ago, Andra said to me: "Watch for that kid Jeffrey Buttle. He'll be our next Olympic medal winner."
Yesterday, she admitted that she was tipped off about Buttle's talent by her daughter Casey. Judge Casey told me yesterday:
"It's true that I told my mother about him. I saw him first skate in Ottawa 10 years ago (Buttle was 13) at a novice championship where I was one of the judges. I couldn't believe how this little kid skated to the music, completed his routine and was constantly moving during the program."
In Turin, the bronze medal winner whom former world champion and now television analyst Dick Button dubbed "a skater's skater," did everything that was expected of him.
"He's a strong skater," Casey said. "As Kurt Browning said, 'You can't take anything away from him because his program is stacked.' Well said."
What the Kelly family didn't mention is that young Jeffrey has lots of courage and a big heart. It took courage for him to attempt the quad and even though he fell, he picked up points for completing the rotations. Personally, I wish Canada's second skater, Emanuel Sandhu would have Buttle's courage and heart. He certainly has the talent.
Canada has been blessed with many talented male skaters who won many Olympic and world championship medals. Browning, for instance, who acted as a TV analyst with Brian Williams, has won four world championships. I was in Budapest covering the world championships when Browning landed the first ever quad in world championship competition.
We can go back to 1962 when Oshawa's Don Jackson won the global title in Prague after trailing hometown favorite Karol Divin by some 40 points following compulsory figures, a task that appeared insurmountable since compulsory figures counted for 60% of the skater's total marks.
Jackson asked his coach Sheldon Galbraith whether he should attempt the triple Lutz, another jump never before attempted in world championship competition.
"There is room at the top," Galbraith told Jackson. Young Don, a courageous kid with fire in his belly, went out and landed the difficult jump, earning the necessary points to win the competition.
There are other gifted Canadians who showed the world that we have, indeed, had talented male skaters. Don McPherson won the worlds in 1963 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, not far from Turin. He won not only for his talent, but also because the judges played games. Half of them pushed Frenchman Alain Calmat into first place and German skater Manfred Schnelldorfer into third. The second half of the judges reversed it. All of them placed McPherson second and he won the global title on a majority of second-place votes.
We certainly must not forget Toller Cranston, who revolutionized figure skating with his artistic approach to the sport. The judges accepted the innovation and Cranston won a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.
And what about Elvis Stojko and Brian Orser, both of whom won Olympic silver medals, Orser in 1988 in Calgary following his battle with Brian Boitano of the US, and Stojko, albeit injured, in 1998 in Nagano, Japan.
Buttle's ascent to the podium another in a long line of Canadian male figure skating champions may pave the way for a new Canadian sports hero.
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Former Maple Leaf Mike Walton is on his way to Turin. "I'm a friend of Mats Sundin," Walton said. "He has a house in Turin and invited me to stay there."... Toronto's Vlasta Brankovska will celebrate the 35th anniversary of her tennis school on March 4. The festivities will be held at the Queen's Club on Dupont Street ... The legendary Bobby Hull will coach a team of former NHLers in a charity game against the Ontario Law Enforcement Torch team with proceeds going to Special Olympics. The game will be played on February 28 at 7 p.m. at the R.J.Twinney Recreation Complex in Newmarket.