TORONTO — Ice dance champion Kaitlyn Weaver and former hockey player Sheldon Kennedy have won the new season of CBC’s skating competition “Battle of the Blades.”
Online voters picked the pair to win the $100,000 grand prize to give to a charity of their choice in Thursday’s broadcast.
They chose Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities.
Weaver and Kennedy beat out two other sets of finalists: Ekaterina Gordeeva and Bruno Gervais, and Natalie Spooner and Andrew Poje.
Weaver, who was born in Houston and grew up partially in Kitchener, Ont., has won three World Ice Dance medals with Poje, who is her skating partner outside of the show.
Manitoba-born Kennedy skated for three teams during his eight-year NHL career, including the Calgary Flames.
Poje and Spooner came in second place and got a total of $35,000 to donate to charities of their choice — $17,500 each.
Gordeeva and Gervais came in third place and got $30,000 — $15,000 each.
“Battle of the Blades” returned for a fifth season in September, nearly six years after it left the air.
The show, which originally ran from 2009 to 2013, sees hockey players and figure skaters pairing up to perform on-ice dance routines for an audience and judges.
Ron MacLean of “Hockey Night in Canada” hosted with former world champion figure skater Kurt Browning as head judge.