So Patrick is back and we're also getting lots of reports again, Here's another one if it hasn't been linked:
Skate Canada: Chan looking to leave his mark
There is a new Patrick. He may not return with the same level technically, but he's matured so much, with new experiences and perspectives on life and his sport. He's a long way from that 19 year old with a heavy chip on his shoulder, having just recovered from an illness and the resultant injury, facing hordes of media sharks for the biggest event on earth.
that's media... always looking for drama
Worse yet they want controversies and will manufacture some if necessary. They are a big part of the answer to Sam L's question:
Why is Patrick so unpopular?
Firstly at Worlds 2009, Patrick angered Brian Joubert's fans when he defended Jeffrey Buttle's Worlds title that Joubert had disparaged. As well, Patrick went on to beat Joubert at that event and ever since.
Growing up a skating prodigy, Patrick had been dealing with a friendly group of Canadian sport journalists and he was used to being very sincere and open with them. He was not prepared for sensationalist media at the Vancouver Olympics while Plushenko smartly avoided speaking completely before his event. Patrick was the centre of attention of the controversy-hungry media. They took his words out of context and blew them up to create a rivalry of a disrespectful upstart against the elder icon. These days, a same story from one source is fed to all reporting media and headlines such as "Chan Blasts Plushenko As Old" were literally spread all over the world. The media left after the Games but they did considerable damage to Patrick's image, enraging Plushenko's fans in particular.
In the figure skating world, both Plushenko and Joubert had very passionate fans and Patrick became the most hated skater. Forums were filled with ridicules and even ill wishes against him. "Chan fan" was a dirty name.
And then there was a "journalist" who interviewed him after his first visit to China and released the report a few months later right before 2011 GPF, twisting Patrick's words as saying he would rather skate for China.
The continued attack on Patrick was based mainly on perceived favoritism from the judges and the disliked scoring system. As Plushenko and Joubert both stopped competing, bad feelings from their fans faded and Patrick has also silenced many critics with his now unquestioned superior skating skills though debates about marks and some fan wars will always go on. The height of his unpopularity is actually over.
The new Patrick is his own man and seems more confident of what he wants for himself and has a broader view. Not over pushing himself is part of that wisdom so we have to wait to see if and when he will focus on pushing the technical level again. He does achieve almost all his stated goals and I wish him well on what he sets out to accomplish this season.
It seems his relationship with Tess has ended but it was good that he could focus on his show skating and adventures during his time off. He also seems very close with Kathy Johnson and gets good support from her. This should put an end to the claim that he chose his coach because of her daughter and it would be big problems for him if he ended the relationship with Tess.
Eta: Patrick looks great, doesn't he?
: 4everchan, all this time I thought when you wrote "video" it was just a typo and you meant "article." Lo and behold, there actually IS a video! 
The video is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT in tone and content. And I have to agree with vivley on this one -- I like the video better than the article. I love your posts too! 
This plan makes no sense to me if he wants to medal (let alone win) internationally. Can someone explain it to me?
if he has them by TEB, even better!
