Three-time reigning world figure skating champion Patrick Chan made headlines earlier this year when he switched training bases from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Detroit.
The Canadian feels at home in his new surroundings, even if outsiders don’t see it so cozy.
“Honestly, sure the first thing people say about Detroit is how they’re bankrupt and it’s run down,” said Chan, according to the Canadian Press. “But honestly it’s growing, it’s making a reversal. I go out every weekend with friends, we go to really great restaurants, it’s not like it’s Armageddon. It’s not like it’s wasteland, it’s still a really nice place, it’s culturally abundant and a place I’m really happy to be at.”
So happy that he’s getting into the Motor City sports scene.
Chan, a Red Wings fan, compared his mentality to a quote from Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander after the ace “won the game against the Boston Red Sox” in the playoffs. (Verlander lost to the Red Sox, and the Tigers also lost the series, but the point remains)
Chan remembered Verlander being asked: “How did you know you were going to win?”
“And he was like, ‘Well the minute I stepped on the mound, I knew I was going to win,’” Chan said. “I noticed that when I won my first World Championship, the minute I stepped on the ice, I knew I was going to win. There was no question, there was no doubt, there was no worry. I was just there to do my job, I was kind of like a robot.”
Chan makes his Grand Prix season debut at Skate Canada on Friday and Saturday.