From a media release:

RUSSIAN GOLD MEDALLISTS OKSANA KAZAKOVA AND VLADIMIR MALAKHOV ARE THE NEXT PAIR TO BE “ICED” ON SEASON FOUR OF BATTLE OF THE BLADES

The Season Four campaign came to an end for another pair of skaters in Sunday night’s “International Beats” themed episode of CBC’s BATTLE OF THE BLADES. At the top of the program, Marie-France Dubrueil & Mathieu Dandenault joined Oksana Kazakova & Vladimir Malakhov in front of Kurt Browning and fellow judges P.J. Stock and Jamie Salé, with the unpleasant possibility of being Iced. Winning the first Skate Off of Season Four kept Oksana and Vladimir alive last week, but when the verdict was delivered, they were the second pair Iced from the competition series.

Oksana, who is the 1998 Olympic Pairs Gold Medallist and her partner Vladimir, a member of the rare and coveted Triple Gold Club, with an Olympic Gold medal, World Championship and Stanley Cup to his credit, were the most decorated pair entering Season Four.

With the judges’ most difficult decision to date, the verdict to send Oksana and Vladimir home also sends their mutual charity, iOrphan Canada, a cheque for $25,000.

New for Season Four, performances and eliminations are combined into an action-packed hour of television. The two pairs who receive the fewest votes for their performance, in combination with the lowest judges’ scores, enter a “Skate Off” in the following week’s episode and their fate is in the judges’ hands. The judges have one opportunity to save a pair from being Iced, which they opted not to use in tonight’s second elimination. Voting for tonight’s performance for the remaining six pairs will remain open on www.cbc.ca/battle until Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. ET.

Also new for Season Four, BATTLE OF THE BLADES fans will have the opportunity to earn extra votes and participate in the show like never before, with special games and challenges for supporters to help their pairs get closer to the ultimate $100,000 prize for charity. Next Sunday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) is “Canadian Week”, with the remaining six pairs skating to the songs that earned top votes in Fan Choice Week, as chosen by fans online.

The remaining six pairs are:

• Violetta Afanasieva & Jason Strudwick
• Shae-Lynn Bourne & Anson Carter
• Jessica Dubé & Brian Savage
• Marie-France Dubreuil & Mathieu Dandenault
• Amanda Evora & Scott Thornton
• Sinead Kerr & Grant Marshall

From a media release:

MARCY HINZMANN AND FOUR-TIME STANLEY CUP WINNER MIKE KRUSHELNYSKI ARE THE FIRST PAIR TO BE “ICED” ON SEASON FOUR OF BATTLE OF THE BLADES

At the top of Sunday night’s “Suit & Tie” themed episode of CBC’s BATTLE OF THE BLADES, the first two pairs at the bottom were revealed by Ron MacLean. Marcy Hinzmann & Mike Krushelnyski, along with Oksana Kazakova & Vladimir Malakhov, entered the first “Skate Off” of Season Four. At the conclusion of the show, head judge Kurt Browning and fellow judges Jamie Salé and P.J. Stock delivered the news that Marcy & Mike would become the first team “Iced” from the competition series.

Marcy, returning from season three of BATTLE OF THE BLADES, is a two-time U.S. Pairs Medalist and Olympian, while Mike had a storied NHL career with three Stanley Cups as a player with the Edmonton Oilers and one as assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings.

With only a brief commercial break to deliberate, the judges’ difficult decision to send Marcy & Mike home as the first Iced pair does have a silver lining, as their mutual charity, NHL Alumni Hockey’s Greatest Family, will receive a cheque for $25,000.

New for Season Four, performances and eliminations are combined into an action-packed hour of television. The two pairs who receive the fewest votes for their performance, in combination with the lowest judges’ scores, enter a “Skate Off” in the following week’s episode and their fate is in the judges’ hands. The judges have one opportunity to save a pair from being Iced, which they opted not to use in tonight’s first elimination. Voting for tonight’s performance for the remaining seven pairs will remain open on www.cbc.ca/battle until Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. ET.

Also new for Season Four, fans will have the opportunity to earn extra votes and participate in the show like never before, including selecting the music for Week Four performances by voting online during Fan Choice Week. Canadians have until 5 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 7 to vote at www.cbc.ca/battle for the song they want each pair to skate to in Week 4.

Next week on BATTLE OF THE BLADES, airing Sunday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT), the remaining seven pairs skate to the theme “International Beat” with the hope of collecting $100,000 for their charity.

The remaining seven pairs are:

• Violetta Afanasieva & Jason Strudwick
• Shae-Lynn Bourne & Anson Carter
• Jessica Dubé & Brian Savage
• Marie-France Dubreuil & Mathieu Dandenault
• Amanda Evora & Scott Thornton
• Oksana Kazakova & Vladimir Malakhov
• Sinead Kerr & Grant Marshall

From a media release:

BATTLE OF THE BLADES SEASON FOUR PAIRS REVEALED IN TONIGHT’S SPECIAL TWO HOUR PREMIERE EPISODE

• Next Sunday, September 29 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) is a special two-hour live performance show of BATTLE OF THE BLADES

After months of anticipation, the BATTLE OF THE BLADES pairs were finally revealed tonight during the two-hour celebratory presentation titled Battle of the Blades: Made in Canada, a look back at the first three seasons.

Next Sunday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) each pair will face off for the first time during a two-hour live performance show. An action-packed hour of live performances and elimination will air every Sunday following, starting Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT).

Hosted by Ron MacLean, the judging panel features fan-favourite and four-time World and Canadian Champion Kurt Browning, Olympic and World Champion pair figure skater and BATTLE OF THE BLADES season one champion Jamie Salé, and season two BATTLE OF THE BLADES cast member and Hockey Night in Canada panelist P.J. Stock.

BATTLE OF THE BLADES is the highest-rated original Canadian format of all time. Combining athletes from two of Canada’s favourite sports, figure skating and hockey, eight World and Olympic figure skaters pair up with eight NHL hockey greats in the ultimate skating competition for charity.

The Season four pairs on BATTLE OF THE BLADES are:

Violetta Afanasieva & Jason Strudwick

The first-ever Extreme Ice Skating World Champion with Canadian partner/husband Peter Dack, Violetta Afanasieva returns for a third season of BATTLE OF THE BLADES and is paired with Jason Strudwick, who played with the New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers over his 14-year NHL career.

Charities:
(Violetta) Humane Society of Kawartha Lakes
(Jason) Edmonton Inner City Children’s Program

Shae-Lynn Bourne & Anson Carter

Internationally revered figure skater Shae-Lynn Bourne, World Ice Dance Champion, 10-time Canadian Ice Dance Champion, three-time Olympian and member of the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame, is skating with Anson Carter, who played 16 NHL seasons for the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks and Carolina Hurricanes.

Charities:
(Shae-Lynn) World Vision – Starting Strong Program
(Anson) Shirt off my Back

Jessica Dubé & Brian Savage

Jessica Dubé, World Pair Bronze Medallist three-time Canadian Pairs Champion and two-time Olympian who survived a dangerous cut to her face while competing in 2007, is partnered with Brian Savage, an Olympic Silver Medallist and assistant captain of the Montreal Canadiens for nine seasons during his 12-year NHL career.

Charities:
(Jessica) Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
(Brian) 10 Rainbows Children’s Foundation – Meghan’s Wings

Marie-France Dubreuil & Mathieu Dandenault

Returning from seasons one and three, Marie-France Dubreuil is a five-time Canadian National Ice Dance Champion paired with Mathieu Dandenault, who had a storied 13-year NHL career as a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Detroit Red Wings, retiring with the Montreal Canadiens in 2010.

Charities:
(Marie-France) Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
(Mathieu) Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation

Amanda Evora & Scott Thornton

A two-time U.S. Pairs Silver Medallist and the first ever Filipino-American to compete in the Winter Olympics, Amanda Evora is skating with Scott Thornton, who totalled 1,459 penalty minutes over his 17-year NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.

Charity:
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

Marcy Hinzmann & Mike Krushelnyski

Marcy Hinzmann, returning from season three of BATTLE OF THE BLADES, is a two-time U.S. Pairs Medalists and Olympian, and is partnered with Mike Krushelnyski, who won three Stanley Cups as a player with the Edmonton Oilers and one as assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings.

Charity:
NHL Alumni Hockey’s Greatest Family

Oksana Kazakova & Vladimir Malakhov

Oksana Kazakova, the 1998 Olympic Pairs Gold Medallist, World Pairs Championships Bronze Medallist and a European Champion is skating with Vladimir Malakhov, who played with the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, and is a member of the rare and coveted Triple Gold Club, with an Olympic Gold medal, World Championship and Stanley Cup to his credit.

Charity:
iOrphan Canada

Sinead Kerr & Grant Marshall

Sinead Kerr, a two-time Olympian in 2006 and 2010 and a seven-time British Ice Dance Champion, is partnered with Grant Marshall, who overcame temporary paralysis as a junior hockey player to play 700 NHL games and became a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Dallas Stars and the New Jersey Devils.

Charities:
(Sinead) Autism Speaks Canada
(Grant) Parachute