The Legacy Of Jeffrey Buttle

Jeffrey Buttle is gone but he's surely not forgotten.
Not by Canadian skating fans. And most definitely not by the young men who hope to make the most of a certain legacy he left behind.
We speak, in both cases, of the world championship Buttle won a year in Gothenburg, Sweden. That result, combined with the ninth-place finish turned in by Patrick Chan, opened up a third men's spot for Canada at the upcoming worlds in Los Angeles.
When Buttle retired in September, one opening became two. And suddenly, there's quite the dogfight to snare a ticket to L.A. One of them is clearly going to Chan, who holds a 17-point lead over the field after a brilliant short program skate to close out Friday night at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships. But there is clearly plenty still to be decided in Sunday night's free skate final at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon.
"He definitely opened the door for one more spot this year," Edmonton's Vaughn Chipeur said when asked about the opportunity Buttle created for them all. "It’s great. It’ll be exciting."
Right now, Chipeur is the leader of that pack with 71.89 points, while Vancouver's Kevin Reynolds stands third with an even 70. But the chase group is substantial and includes Vancouver's Jeremy Ten (69.06), Joey Russell of Labrador City, NL (68.27), Shawn Sawyer of Edmundston, N.B. (66.88) and Elladj Balde of Pierrefonds, Que. (65.02).
Chipeur might feel a little more secure if not for a popped triple flip in a short program that had been flying right along until then. But he still likes his position.
"I feel great," he said. "I’d like those points that the triple flip’s worth ... That's seven or eight points. They go a long way.
"My strength is the technical side, so I have to capitalize on that. I think it’s a good spot to be in going into the long. I’ve worked my butt off for the last six weeks but it’s been worth it. It’s going to pay off."
He'll owe a big thank you to Buttle if it does. No doubt about it.