Ron MacLean

So we were getting ready two days out, and Stéphane Richet, like all the men, had been taught, if you happen to catch an edge or you're falling, throw your partner as best you can.

Throw them to buy them time.

It's almost like if they have an extra second in the air, they'll get their feet under them like a cat.

Well, Stéphane Richet threw Marie-France Dubray straight into the ice, and she ended up bleeding out of her ears, her nose, her eyes.

It was really gruesome.

And they carted her to St.

Michael's Hospital, and she's unconscious.

And then they all are there around her bedside.

I wasn't there, but Kurt Browning was there.

And when she came to, and Stephane Richer felt just horrible, she said, hey, Stephane, don't worry about it.

This happens all the time in figure skating.

But because that happened, honestly, Bob, we had meeting after meeting for two days about what to do in the event of such an accident in the middle of the live broadcast.

So we would do a dress rehearsal at 3 in the afternoon.

We'd have everybody skate their routine just as if they were on the show.

And if that was to happen live, then we would cut to the previous taped show, the one that we had done at 3 in the afternoon.

That was the only way we'd fill the hour.

So everybody was terrified.

You could have heard a pin drop on opening night.

It's hard enough to do that choreography and putting yourself out there.

Well, they weren't on figure skates night one.