Just wait until next year, crows Browning

The Caroline Kid is in his car, driving to Pearson International Airport in Toronto for a flight that will whisk him to Dayton, Ohio, and a Stars on Ice date tonight.

Jeff Buttle is a world away, in Moscow, trying to become the next Kurt Browning. The Old Pro is the New Kid's idol. The New Kid has the Old Pro's admiration. "He's an approachable skater," Browning is saying during the commute, before news of Buttle's silver medal at the world figure skating championships would be beamed around the globe. "I know that sounds weird. But by that, I mean fans and judges enjoy watching him skate. And that's a very rare, very precious, commodity in such a supercharged competitive environment. He puts you at ease. Judges want to see him do well. And that's important.

"I don't know Jeff very well. But I like the way he skates. He's a complete skater. And I know the experience he's getting this year, being near the top, can only help him in the future.

"There are two ways to go, right?

Either you're a kid, thinking to yourself, 'Wow! Here am I at worlds! This is cool!' Or you're someone who's comfortable with the situation, and with yourself in the situation. It's no different than driving to someone's house. The first time you might have to stop and phone for directions. The second time, you know the way.

"Been there, done that.

"That's where Jeff is now. He's not happy to just be there. He's aiming high."

There's only one way to go for Jeff Buttle when the world championships shift to the Pengrowth Saddledome in a year's time. And that's up a step on the podium (Browning, remember, got there four times in his stellar, near unprecedented amateur career).

Despite falling twice in his free skate, a series of domino events conspired to help Buttle finish second to Switzerland's Stephane Lambiel.

They included defending champion Evgeni Plushenko withdrawing because of a groin injury earlier in the day.

The medal was the first for a Canadian in singles since Elvis Stojko jumping-jacked his way to a silver in Nice, France, in 2000.

Elvis was a proven commodity, though. This one came out of the blue. Eighth at the 2003 worlds, Buttle didn't even make the Canadian team last year.

Thursday, despite the tumbles, he landed five triple jumps in his program, but candidly admitted afterwards the medal caught him completely by surprise. Interestingly enough, the newly installed world No. 2 will be joining Browning and the rest of the HSBC cast as a guest skater at the Hamilton and Toronto stops.

The Calgary date on the HSBC Stars on Ice Imagination tour is April 29.

With the worlds returning to Canada next spring, Browning feels Buttle's in an ideal position to follow up on what he accomplished Thursday, and to offer a re-Buttle, as it were, to those who felt the silver medal was a bit of a fluke. He's home. But not too close to home. Browning got a taste of the hometown adulation at the 1996 worlds in Edmonton, skating in the closing ceremonies.

"They gave me a standing ovation when I skated onto the ice. It blew my mind. But there's a lot of pressure skating in your hometown. I can just imagine how difficult it would be in competition.

"Jeff will be skating in Canada, the crowd will be solidly behind him, but he won't have that burden of those added expectations that comes with being the hometown kid. You don't feel quite so much in the crosshairs."

And on the subject of deer in the headlights, Canada's one-time wonderboy, Emanuel Sandhu, moved up, marginally, to seventh place following Thursday's free skate. But in Moscow he kept intact his reputation for seizing up at the big event and betraying his own immense promise.

"Emanuel's just got amazing ability," says Browning. "I mean, you watch him and deep in your gut, you're envious. I did a TV special with he and Brian Orser in November and I remember turning to Brian at one point saying, 'Geez, I forgot just how good this guy really is.'

"He's had some great results, don't forget. Winning a Grand Prix, for example. That's not an easy thing to do."

So why, oh why, does Sandhu develop a rash every time a worlds or an Olympics arrives?

"Well, in my opinion he's got too much going through his head. He worries about too many things -- how he's going to going into the next jump. What bad things happened in practice yesterday. What he's going to say afterwards to the press that's going to make him sound cool -- instead of just concentrating on the job at hand."

Next year's worlds at the Saddledome fall after the Olympics in Torino. That's bound to affect the depth of the talent pool competing in Calgary.

Still, Kurt Browning expects the show to go over with a bang.

"So much depends on the crowds at a big event like worlds. The skaters feed off the audience and the audience feeds off itself. You need that electricity as a skater to really be able to soar. Canadian crowds are always wonderful. The atmosphere is different. Warm, but supportive. Our crowds really appreciate the performances of all the skaters, but still get right behind the Canadians competing.