Battle of the Blades winners set to be crowned

The winning couple in CBC's Battle of the Blades competition will be crowned in Monday's final episode.

Three teamsfrom the seven-week competition, which pairs formerNHL players with well-knownfigure skaters,remain:

• Shae-Lynn Bourne and Claude Lemieux.
• Marie-France Dubreuil and Stphane Richer.
• Jamie Sal and Craig Simpson.

Monday's finale will open with a group performance featuring the eight original couples from the competition. It will also include a guest performance by former figure-skating champion Kurt Browning, who co-hosts Battle of the Blades with HockeyNight in CanadahostRon MacLean.

The winning pair will receive a cheque for $100,000 made out to the charity of their choice.

The reality television series,before live audiences at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, paired eight retired hockey stars with the figure skaters.

The first episode drew nearly two million viewers and was the second-highest premiere for a homegrown series since Little Mosque on the Prairie.

Ratings continued to be strong throughout the show's run, and there's talk the concept of the series may be franchised to other countries.

Monday's finalebegins at 8 p.m., 8:30 p.m. NT.