Legendary Night of Skating
March 2, 1999
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON

History.

The largest assembly of Canadian champions, past and present, that had ever formally been gathered. The first skating show to grace the ice of Toronto’s brand-new Air Canada Centre. Memories of great performances and magic moments.

It was a night all about history as fans gathered to witness a skating show which promised to be like none other they’d ever attended. Legendary Night of Figure Skating, a look back at the history of the sport in Canada, brought together past, present and future as Canadian legends gathered at the sparkling new venue on March 2, 1999.

Directed by, of course, celebrated choreographer Sandra Bezic (a legend in her own right), Legendary Night boasted a collection of over 100 Canadian skating luminaries, from past heroes Barbara Ann Scott, Osborne Colson, and Donald Jackson to present favourites Brasseur and Eisler, Elvis Stojko, Jennifer Robinson, and Sargeant and Wirtz, and stars of the future including Emanuel Sandhu, Christopher Mabee, and Mira Leung. From Toller Cranston to Brian Orser, the Jelineks to Underhill and Martini, Petra Burka to Liz Manley, practically ever “big-name” in Canadian skating was there. Notable absentees included Kurt Browning, who was at home with his ill mother, and Bourne and Kraatz, with Shae-Lynn nursing a knee injury.

What to do with so many skating greats, some of whom hadn’t actually been on ice in years? This is where Bezic’s magic did its work, piecing together historic video footage with live performance to create a seamless, unforgettable evening which truly did justice to the great tradition it was celebrating. Highlights of the night included Toller Cranston, who came out of retirement to skate his signature, I Pagliacci; Osborne Colson, who delighted the crowd by displaying his undying joy in skating in a number with future greats Emanuel Sandhu and Christopher Mabee, and Brasseur and Eisler, who brought down the house with a rendition of their hilarious cross-dressing favourite, Patricia the Stripper.

The show’s finale, a parade of champions past and present, was a fitting culmination to a night of skating which none who attended will easily forget. A glorified high-school reunion for the students of the prized school of Canadian figure skating, Legendary Night was truly legendary, and definitely a good beginning for what will surely become a legacy of great ice shows at the ACC.