Patrick Chan makes uneven return at Skate Canada
3-time world champion sits in 2nd place after short program
Make no mistake, the fans in the audience for the men's competition at the Skate Canada International treated it like it was the main event.
There had been a huge buzz surrounding this year's Skate Canada. It was going to be the first time that Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu and Olympic silver medallist Patrick Chan were to meet on the ice since Sochi in 2014.
With the careful way that skaters are assigned to the Grand Prix events, it is a rare thing to have two figure skating titans square off this early in the season. For three-time world champion Patrick Chan, his appearance in Lethbridge, Alta. signaled his return to competition in earnest.
As a non-ranked skater from the previous skating season, Chan skated fifth, and, as he took the ice, I wondered if his successful practice earlier in the day would carry over into his competition performance.
The music started and it was quintessential and expressive Chan to Michael Buble's jazzy version of Mack the Knife. The set up for the quad-toe/triple-toe combination looked good. Then came the triple Axel.
The height was there and so appeared to be the rotation. Chan's lack of control on his landing edge resulted in a fall and deductions. Seemingly losing his focus, Chan doubled a planned (required) triple Lutz which netted him zero points.
What amazes me is that through it all, Chan's ease on the ice never changes. My delight at watching him cross the ice with a single stroke of the blade never changes.
He received a score of 80.81 and was promptly unseated as leader two skaters later. Japan's Daisuke Murakami earned 80.88; that's a sliver of a lead: .07. American Adam Rippon finished in third with a score of 80.26. This means a virtual three-way tie heading into tomorrow's free programs.
Chan mentioned his frustration in the mixed zone after his skate. If there's one thing I know about watching him after all these years, using his frustration as motivation works for him. He often delivers his best performances when he is doing the chasing rather than being chased.
Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu had his own share of troubles and finished the short program, shockingly, in sixth place, partly by repeating a jump. The error meant scoring zero on two of his three required jump elements.
You can always count on not being able to count on skaters in competition.
The Skate Canada International competition concludes tomorrow.