From coast to coast, and probably to coast, the next Gretzkys, Lemieuxs and Crosbys are being born with proud papas ready to take their boys to Canadian Tire for their first pair of cheesecutters.

For the West End’s Foster family, however, there’s a slight twist to their version of the Canadian Dream.

The youngest member of the clan, seven-year-old Nathaniel, is a burgeoning figure skating phenomenon.

"He really was basically born in the arena. If what you see is what you know, then he really knows skating," said his mother, Andrea Gordon, who is also president of the Montreal Figure Skating Club, where Nathaniel and his older sisters Deidre and Karyah both practice the sport.

"My water actually broke just down the street when we were having my baby shower at Eileen Meenagh’s house, who is our former president," Gordon said.

"I was just happy we weren’t doing anything at the rink that day, because it would have happened at the arena! At the time would drive Deidre and Eileen’s daughter Carly to the rink to skate, and it just happened there was no skating that day. He was literally very close to being born at St. Michel Arena!"

Practically destined to be on skates from that moment on, Nathaniel is years ahead of the game.

"I put him in the junior CanSkate program at four and he blew through it and was competing in the Montreal Games already at the age of five against kids twice his age – and winning!" beamed Gordon.

"The coaches are looking at him and they say he has potential. We’re talking world calibre here. That might seem a little like we’re putting the cart ahead of the horse, but it’s not me who’s saying that.

"He’s practicing with much older kids and he works and works and works and the coaches are saying this. I’m just really proud to be watching."

Deidre, 19, helps coach her little brother.

"Yeah, he’s got a lot of potential. If you look at other kids his age, a lot of them aren’t skating with the same finesse he does. They just don’t have his abilities on the ice – it’s the kind of thing you just have or you don’t have, and he has it. Some kids learn fast, but for some it’s just natural and he’s totally natural," she said.

"It’s impressive to see him now. When I was seven I had just started, and he’s already where I was when I was about 11 by now. He’s still a kid though – he still wants to play video games and bug his older sisters; but he has this ability on the side.

"When he’s in an arena, he knows it’s time to work. When he’s home it’s family time, but on the ice it’s work."

For the young skating star himself, going to the rink is just a way to have fun.

"I love doing jumps like axels and things like that. I feel solid in the air. In the future I’ll be working on doubles, and then triples and more. I think if I do all my work and I try hard, I’ll be able to do all the jumps," he said.

"Skating is fun for me but I take it seriously. I need to be serious to be better and better."

Along with her husband Wendell and daughters, including non-skater Alicia, Andrea Gordon is just proud to see her youngest enjoy himself.

"We don’t drive him to do it, we don’t make him go out on the ice. He just totally loves it. He’s the first one with his skates on waiting for the Zamboni to get off. He just really loves skating."