KITCHENER, Ont. - Patrick Chan is back. But just not the way everybody expected.

With the Olympics looming ever closer, Chan - the world silver medalist - finished only sixth Friday night in the short program. He ended up with 68.64 points, well behind leader Jeremy Abbott of the United States with 79.00.

Chan even finished behind little Denis Ten, the 16-year-old showman from Kazakhstan who is competing on the senior Grand Prix circuit this year for the first time.

He earned 75.45 for a rousing Sing Sing Sing routine that earned him a partial standing ovation.

In second place is Daisuke Takahashi of Japan with 76.30 points. Like Chan, he's coming off an injury, except that he lost all of last season because of one.

Chan's technical score of 31.74 was ninth best of 12 men on the night, but he had the highest presentation score of 37.90.

And you'd never guess who had the highest technical score: Ten, of Kazakhstan with 43.60.

Chan's total short program score was about 20 points lower than his best.

The large crowd at the old Aud gasped when he first fell on a triple Axel. He took off on the wrong edge for his triple flip that was supposed to be part of a triple-triple combination, but it turned into a triple-double.

He had to fight for the landing of a triple Lutz. He had troubles on two of his spins, hopping out of one, stepping out of another.

Joey Russell of Labrador City, Nfld. finished ninth after stepping out of an underrotated triple Axel, but otherwise delivering a smart, artful routine to Paint it Black.

Canadian bronze medalist Jeremy Ten of Vancouver had a rough day, too, falling on all of his jumps to finish last among 12. Both he and Russell are fighting for the second men's Olympic berth.

Ten's effort choked him up.

Somehow, Chan's disastrous night didn't seem to shake his confidence at all. He chalked the experience up to his return after an injury. He hadn't competed a short program since the world championships about eight months ago.

Of course not, Chan said.

He knew he was just dreaming to even think of having a good clean program, first time out of the blocks in months.

"It's reality,'' he said of what happened last night.

"I didn't fall that hard,'' he said, in good humour. "It was a nice soft landing on my butt. It was okay.''

He said the spins were shaky because he was fighting for control over his nerves - although he said he wasn't overly nervous - and his adrenalin.

"I haven't had adrenalin pumping through my blood for a while,'' he said.

However, he said it was key in the Olympic season to" keep ploughing through''

"What's important is the Olympics,'' Chan said. "That's what's given me confidence and motivation. I've already forgotten about the short program.''

He said his injured left calf didn't enter his thoughts at all. If they had, he wouldn't have skated, he said. "All I was thinking about was the elements, checking them off one by one,'' he said.

As his program crumbled beneath him, Chan said he was too focused to feel uptight. Part of the problem, he said, was that he may have been focusing too far ahead on some elements, thinking about what was coming next instead of taking one thing at a time.

"I just moved on,'' he said.

Michael Slipchuk, director of high performance for Skate Canada, wasn't ruffled either.

"It's a long season and it's building,'' he said. "There's good days and bad days and you move through. We're being very cautious to keep that in mind. In our mind, there's no room for panic. Joannie [Rochette] had a rough go in China and she came back today.

"It's about getting out there competing and getting that comfort back....It's good just to see him back on the ice.''

Although Abbott won the short program, he wore a wan face, after just learning that a female skater he used to train with in Colorado Springs was killed in a skiing accident. She hit a tree and died instantly, he said.

"Her family was very very sweet and I just wanted to do the best I could in her memory,'' he said.

Abbott switched coaches this season and now trains with former world champion Yuka Sato. It's done him a world of good, he said.

"I really enjoy the whole experience, just moving out on my own and really taking responsibility for my life and complete control of my skating has been really freeing and exciting,'' he said.

"Yuka has been an amazing coach.She plays to my strengths....Her guidance and sharing the same ice with someone who is so respected is really an amazing experience.''

(Denis) Ten said he was happy to show everything he could do in training.

"For me it's quite unexpected to be here in the press conference with these great skaters,'' he said. "It's very nice for me to be here and I hope it's not the last time.''

Takahashi, second in the short program, said he felt he did 75 per cent of what he could do. He received very high bonus marks for his step sequences, but he under rotated the second part of a triple flip - triple toe loop combination.