Shae-Lynn Bourne has a new dance partner, except this one’s more familiar with pucks than polkas.

The Chatham native will skate with four-time Stanley Cup winner Claude Lemieux on the new CBC series “Battle of the Blades.”

The eight teams of figure skaters and ex-NHL players were announced Wednesday for the weekly elimination-style contest that debuts Oct. 4.

“I guarantee it will be entertaining,” Bourne, 33, said in a phone interview.

The seven-week series will be shot before a live audience at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

The concept is similar to Dancing With The Stars, but with a twist, said Bourne.

“It’s very Canadian, having the two biggest sports from this country together,” she said. “... It’s exciting. I’m really thrilled.

“Now when a husband and wife are sitting there, they can both say, ‘Let’s watch this.’”

The other pairs are Jamie Sale with Craig Simpson, Barb Underhill with Ron Duguay, Marie-France Dubreuil with Stephane Richer, Jodeyne Higgins with Ken Daneyko, Isabelle Brasseur with Glenn Anderson, Christine Hough-Sweeney with Tie Domi, and Kristina Lenko with Bob Probert.

Bourne is impressed to see the hockey players trying a new sport. Just switching from hockey skates to figure skates can be difficult.

“It’s very brave of them going to take this challenge on because it’s so different from what they’re used to,” she said

Shae-Lynn Bourne has a new dance partner, except this one’s more familiar with pucks than polkas.

Bourne won 10 Canadian ice dance championships with former partner Victor Kraatz. They also won six medals at the world championships, including a gold in 2003, and went to three Olympics.

Lemieux spent 21 seasons in the NHL, amassing 786 points and earning a reputation as one of the league’s premier pests. He played last season in San Jose and retired with 1,777 penalty minutes.

“He’s a great guy and a good skater,” Bourne said. “We just started our training and it’s going well.”

She’s trained with him in Phoenix, where he lives with his family, and leaves today for 10 more days there.

“It’s no problem for me because the weather’s great,” Bourne said with a laugh.

The pairs will also train in Toronto for a week before the show begins. They have to get used to the ice and the lights at the Gardens.

The skaters are used to playing to the crowd, but that’s one more skill the hockey players will have to learn.

“It’s a lot to learn in a short time,” Bourne said. “It’s the whole package. It’s the technique and it’s the elements and it’s how to connect with an audience. But all these guys have personality.”

There’s an element of danger, too. The figure skaters are taking a risk when they get lifted by their new partners.

“These guys aren’t used to having a girl in their arms and carrying her around the ice,” Bourne said.

The series will show the teams in a pre-production boot camp and at their workouts. Fans will get to see a personal side to the skaters, Bourne said.

“Battle of the Blades” will air Sundays and Mondays.

The audience will vote Sunday. The two pairs receiving the fewest votes must perform again Monday for a panel of judges who’ll send one team home.

Bourne is proud Canadians get to make their voices heard.

“Sometimes I wish competitions were like that,” she said, laughing.

Each couple is donating their winnings to charity. Bourne and Lemieux are competing for Make-A-Wish Canada.

“It just makes us want to do even better because if you win, more will go to charity,” Bourne said.

Everyone is having a good time, she said, but they’re still very serious. No one wants to be voted out first.

Bourne enjoys listening to the NHL players when they get together, still talking about old times and poking fun at each other.

“It’s fun listening to that because it’s all coming back,” Bourne said. “They’re all competitive and so are we.”