Battle of the Blades
Wade Belak’s final hours
The night before he was found dead of a suspected suicide, the former NHL enforcer was out on the town and in good spirits
What figure skating needs—an enforcer
Beauty, meet the beast: tough guy Georges Laraque joins Battle of the Blades
Bob Probert’s final years
The former NHLer put his off-ice struggles behind him and died a family man
Newsmakers ’09: Power couples
Figure skating & hockey
Maclean’s Interview: Claude Lemieux
How a tough guy broke the figure skating barrier, won over Canadians and sang his heart out
Why we love Battle of the Blades
It combines two things Canada loves most: hockey and the risk of serious head wounds