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Barbara Ann Underhill (born June 24, 1963) is a hockey skating coach and
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
former pair skater. With partner Paul Martini, she is the 1984 World champion, the 1979–1983 Canadian national champion, and the 1978 World Junior champion. They represented
Canada at the 1980 Winter Olympics Canada competed at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States. Canada had competed at every Winter Olympic Games previously. Medalists Alpine skiing ;Men ;Women Bobsleigh Cross-country skiing ;Women ;Women's 4 × 5 ...
, where they placed 9th, and at the 1984 Winter Olympics, where they placed 7th. In 2009, she was named to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Since retiring from competition, Underhill has worked as a skating coach for several National Hockey League teams.


Early life

Underhill was born in Pembroke, Ontario, Canada. She began skating at the age of 5.


Career


Partnership with Martini

Underhill and Martini began skating together in the summer of 1977. They won gold in junior pairs at the 1978 Canadian figure skating championships. They also won the World Junior Championships that same year in
Megève Megève (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France with a population of more than 3,000 residents. The town is well known as a ski resort near Mont Blanc in the French Alps. Co ...
, France. In 1979, they won their first senior national title and made their
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
debut, finishing 11th. They placed 9th at the
1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...
in
Lake Placid, New York Lake Placid is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, Essex County, New York (state), New York, United States. In 2020, its population was 2,205. The village of Lake Placid ...
. Underhill/Martini finished fourth at the 1982 World Championships in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, having placed fifth in the short program and fourth in the free skate. The pair reached the podium at the 1983 World Championships in
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
. After placing third in both segments, they were awarded the bronze medal behind Elena Valova / Oleg Vasiliev of the Soviet Union and Sabine Baeß / Tassilo Thierbach of East Germany. In February 1984, Underhill/Martini finished 7th at the
Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...
in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
. In March, they competed at the 1984 World Championships in
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
. Ranked second to Olympic gold medalists Valova/Vasiliev in the short program and first in the free skate, Underhill/Martini won Canada's first world figure skating title since Karen Magnussen in 1973.


Later career

Underhill worked for 16 years as a skating TV commentator until 2006. She then began working with hockey players to develop their speed and power. She initially worked with the Guelph Storm, of which her husband is a part owner. She then began working with NHL teams—first the
Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...
, followed by the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
and the
Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...
. Underhill was named in the 2011 edition of
The Hockey News ''The Hockey News'' (''THN'') is a Canadian-based ice hockey magazine. ''The Hockey News'' was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Will Cote and has since become the most recognized hockey publication in North America. The magazine has a reader ...
's list of the 100 most influential people in ice hockey due to her power skating coaching. Underhill joined the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
's
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
as the team's Skating Consultant on April 20, 2012. Underhill also appeared on CBC TV's '' Battle of the Blades''.


Personal life

Underhill married Rick Gaetz, with whom she has two sons, Matthew and Scott, all of whom are involved in hockey. On September 15, 1992, she had twin girls, Sam and Stephanie, but lost Stephanie in a drowning accident on Saturday, May 29, 1993, just a few hours before Game 7 between
Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
and
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
at
Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church and Wellesley, Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was originally constructed in 1931 as an indoor arena to host ice hoc ...
. In 1998, she started the Stephanie Gaetz Keepsafe Foundation to reduce injuries in childhood, with a focus on water safety.


Competitive highlights

(with Martini)


References

* * * * * *


External links


Stephanie Gaetz Keepsafe Foundation
– Organization in memory of her late daughter
Pairs on Ice: Barbara Underhill & Paul Martini
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Underhill, Barbara 1963 births Living people Canadian female pair skaters Battle of the Blades participants Figure skaters at the 1980 Winter Olympics Figure skaters at the 1984 Winter Olympics Olympic figure skaters for Canada Sportspeople from Oshawa Skating people from Ontario World Figure Skating Championships medalists World Junior Figure Skating Championships medalists Women in the National Hockey League 20th-century Canadian sportswomen