This week one of Canada’s most beloved skating heroes, Brian Orser will be on the other side of the boards at the 2007 Canadian Championships, a competition he dominated for almost a decade in the 1980’s.

But at these nationals, fans will observe Orser in a new role – one that undoubtedly no one will dispute.

Though Orser said he never envisioned himself becoming a coach, the transition from skater to mentor seems to have been a natural gravitation and one Orser states he is now totally comfortable with. “I will be attending nationals as the coach of Maxim Billy Fortin and the young pair team of Rachel Kirkland and Eric Radford. This is very a very exciting time for me,” Orser said.

Orser recently announced that the 2007 Stars on Ice Canadian tour will mark the end of his professional career…so this seemed like the perfect time for us all to get to know him a little better.

But when asked to share some of his personal memories from his incredible career and his current adventures, Orser was taken aback. “Oh gosh, I don’t know. There were so many of them. Boy, I wasn’t ready for this!” he said. Here are some highlights from the IFS interview.

IFS: What was the most fun thing you had the opportunity to do once you turned professional back in 1988?

Orser: “I was so fortunate turning professional in the late 80’s and do the TV specials. They were my favorite things to do and I got to do three of my own TV specials. “Carmen on Ice” was just one of my favorite things. I love working in television. I think another one of the highlights was the 1999 Goodwill Games. I was on a mission to skate well and I trained hard for months before that competition. I had great programs and I landed the triple Axel, which was a big deal for me. The funniest thing was, it was exactly the same podium as at the 1988 Olympics – Brian Boitano, myself, and Viktor Petrenko.”

IFS: Have you and Brian Boitano remained friends and do you ever talk about the hype that surrounded the 1988 Olympic Games?

Orser: “Absolutely. Sometimes we talk about the ‘Battle of the Brians.’ I was joking around with him when we did the "Michael Bolton Tribute" in November. I was asking him ‘like, are you ever going to retire?’ I was kind of gauging my retirement on him retiring. You know, like when he goes, I’ll go. But it does not seem like he is doing it anytime soon so I just had to jump ship.”

"Last time we saw each other we just kind of looked at each other and it was like you know we are getting older, we are becoming responsible and mature and adults. Even though I am 45 I do feel like I am an adult now.”

IFS: It seems that you and Brian Boitano have taken completely different paths in your professional careers?

Orser: “Our professional lives have been the opposite of each other. He is still very competitive and a workaholic as far as training goes. He does not do a lot of shows. I took it all on. I loved touring and he is not big on touring. I loved doing the tour bus thing and I loved the people I worked with and I loved the crew. I love all that stuff. I love the process of putting it together, the rehearsals - everything.”

IFS: Almost 20 years have passed since the 1998 Games yet you remain one of the most popular personalities in the sport?

Orser: “I have been so fortunate. There have been a couple of blips along the way. But my fans have always been there and they have always been loyal and I am really realizing that now. People are stopping me all the time, now more than ever! I am not sure why but it is like on the subway, at the grocery store and at the doctor’s office the other day.

"People are not shy about coming up and saying thank you so much for all the years of great skating. It is flattering. I am so lucky – really, really lucky. I was blessed with everything. The stars were aligned beautifully for me - my timing, my talent. I would not do anything differently, that is for sure. I love skating so much, I love the sport so much, I love to see people do well, that I am not really surprised I am in this place because it is all about skating.”

Fast forward to the present. Orser is now the Co-Director of Skating at the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club, a job he co-shares with Tracy Wilson. Orser and Wilson competed on the same international teams for seven years during their amateur careers. Life, it seems, has come full circle for both of them.

IFS: You were reluctant to take over the job of Co-Skating Director at the Club initially, but it seems you have fallen in love with your new career?

Orser: “I absolutely love it. I think that for Tracy and I, at this stage in our lives, it just seems to be the right thing at the right time. We both have the energy and the vision and I think we are such a great team because we complement each other really, really well.

"The other day David Wilson and I were watching a session. I just love it when I stand at the boards and look out onto the ice and see the energy of the kids who are skating really well and are obviously loving ever minute of the experience. Jeff Buttle and Christopher Maybee were out there last weekend and all I could think was, ‘these really great skaters are training here. Wow!’ David was standing beside me watching what was going on and out of the blue he said ‘you know what, this is like the best school in the world. Like, we’ve done it.’ We [David, Tracy and Orser] did it together. David and Tracy are amazing. We have a great team and an amazing harmony.”