Hamilton puts retirement on ice

Two years removed from a Stars on Ice "farewell' tour, Scott Hamilton is back on the blades.

"The fact that it was presented as a farewell kind of made me uncomfortable,' says the 44-year-old Olympic champion and Stars on Ice co-founder.

Actually, he was careful not to say he was retiring during that 2000-01 tour because he wanted to leave the door open to a part-time return. This year, Hamilton is performing in 16 of the 61 cities, including this weekend's shows at Staples Center, Arrowhead Pond and the San Diego Sports Arena.

"In any press thing I said, 'I just can't imagine doing a full tour anymore,' ' he says.

In Hamilton's time away from Stars on Ice, his attention has been focused elsewhere. He has been developing a detailed treatment of a theater-type show to be staged on the ice.

"We have a theatrical booking (company) that has budgeted it and we're just waiting to hear back to see if they're willing to take the risk as far as the financial end of it,' he says.

"We're hoping to put it in a place for a few months to develop it more and make sure it's properly rehearsed so when we take it on the road ... we're up to speed and the show can really break ground and deliver a style of skating that people really haven't seen before.'

Hamilton also has been developing a relationship with Tracie Robinson, a 33-year-old former nutritionist whom he married Dec. 14. Nineteen guests (including skaters Steven Cousins and Kristi Yamaguchi) were on hand for the vows, which were exchanged at a private Malibu estate.

"It was just the people closest to us -- the very, very closest to us,' Hamilton says. "We're going to throw a party at the end of this month, a reception for all the people we couldn't include in the wedding.'

But first comes some Stars on Ice appearances. While Hamilton was always open to the idea of a limited return, it became a little more urgent once show organizers approached him after injuries forced Cousins and Tara Lipinski out of the lineup. At the time, there also was uncertainty over the participation of Alexei Yagudin, who already had dropped out of Skate America in October because of severe hip pain. However, the Russian Olympic gold medalist recovered quickly enough to join the tour.