Canada’s newest Olympic medalists headline 2026 Stars On Ice tour

Canadian skaters and Olympians Piper Gillies and Paul Poirier discuss Stars on Ice premier in Halifax

Stars on Ice is back in Halifax for another season.

Fresh off their Olympic podium finish in the 2026 Milan Games, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are lacing up with the tour.

“We look forward to coming out to stars, and I think it’s such an interesting energy when we don’t have to be judged,” Gilles told CTV News Monday. “We can just celebrate our skating, celebrate the fun of figure skating, and connect with our audience and it just brings so much joy to us.”

Gilles says the reaction to winning their first Olympic medal has been touching.

“It’s taken 15 years of our career together to make a moment like that, and I think we really felt the impact of what we did,” said Gilles. “People we’ve never even met messaged us and were like, ‘Oh my God, we cried, I don’t know who you are, but I felt so emotional,’ and I think being able to kind of share that moment with people all across Canada who loved that moment, I think will be so fun.”

The two join a cast of Olympians that will kicking off their tour at Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre.

“I think it’s really exciting. We have all of our friends and teammates that are here, the entire Olympic team will be a part of the tour at some point, as well as Kaetlyn Osmond and Elvis Stojko, who are also Olympic medallists,” added Poirier. “So, it’s a really strong gang. It’s the best Canadian skaters that we have, and we’re just so excited to share this show with the country.”

Fellow Olympic teammates include Canadian Pair skaters Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, two-time Olympian Madeline Schizas, and 2026 World Medalists and 2026 Canadian National Pair Champions Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud.

Rounding out the group will be Olympians Keegan Messing and Roman Sadovsky, who is making his Stars on Ice debut.

The Halifax show will also feature guest skaters, and two-time Olympians, Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha.

Poirier and Gilles already spent time doing Stars on Ice in Japan and have the choreography from Kurt Browning under their belts. The pair says their favourite part about the tour is spending time with their fellow skaters.

“Creating all the inside jokes behind the scenes… it’s kind of getting ready for the show, getting the energy and hyping each other up and make memories that way,” said Gilles.

“Spending time with our teammates, we spend a month together on the road. So, we really grow close and we really just share the moments of life together,” added Poirier. “I think skating is so special. We bring a lot of ourselves to the table. We have to be very vulnerable and so I think that just creates a space for a really strong human connection.”

When asked what they hope the audience takes away from their performance, the pair said a love for the sport.

“We as kids came to Stars on Ice and we saw Kurt Browning and we saw Elvis Stojko, and to be here with them is such a dream come true,” said Gilles. “So, we just hope that we can inspire the next generation athletes.”

The stars hit the ice to start their Canadian tour on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Scotiabank Centre.

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