NEW YORK -- Planned months ago as a tribute to the U.S. figure skating team that died 40 years ago in a plane crash, Friday night's show at Madison Square Garden turned into so much more.

Just three weeks after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, America's skating stars of the past and present gathered to honor the thousands who died on Sept. 11, too.

"Everyone here as a group wanted to represent something larger than themselves," said Scott Hamilton, who carried out the American flag for the opening number, "America The Beautiful."

Hamilton also closed the show that featured the likes of Michelle Kwan, Tara Lipinski, Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi.

"The evening was the star," Hamilton said. "It showed how far we have come after something horrible. We showed it's been done before and it can be done again."

The program honored the 18 skaters and coaches who perished on their way to the 1961 World Championships.

"I don't think there has ever been or will be again another event with as many champions as this," said Michael Weiss, a two-time U.S. gold medalist. "Through everything that happened (at the twin towers), we found American heroes who showed their true colors."

The least-known skater on the agenda was 16-year-old Joanna Glick of nearby Upper Saddle River, N.J., whose older brother Jeremy died on United Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania after being hijacked. She was invited to the show by Weiss, then was asked if by the organizers if she wanted to skate.

"Everyone was watching Joanna from our own angles," said Hamilton, noting that the entire cast viewed her performance to "I Will Remember You" by Sara McLachlan. "We felt for her, being brave enough to step out and skate through the pain of such a personal loss."

With Jeremy's widow, Elizabeth, watching from the front row, Glick, a junior-level skater, looked like a champion.

"I can't describe it," she said. "When everybody stood up, I got so emotional.

"I felt the energy of having all these people watching me, but I kind of tried to zone them out a little bit to skate. I was so happy at the end, I said Jeremy would be really proud."

The night not only featured such teen-agers as Glick, but veterans ranging from Dick Button to Peggy Fleming to Kitty and Peter Carruthers. There was a moving video about the members of the '61 team, and emotional remembrances from renowned coaches Frank Carroll -- current U.S. champions Kwan and Tim Goebel are among his students -- and Ron Ludington. Both Carroll and Ludington were taught by Maribel Vinson Owen, perhaps the most influential of all U.S. coaches. Owens died with the rest of that team.

There also were some light touches. Weiss skated to a medley by the Backstreet Boys.

"I wanted to skate to `The Lord's Prayer,' " he said. "But I thought, `Maybe New York is ready to have a little bit of fun and distract them from the gloom.

"I didn't want people to go away from this thing feeling bad."

And Todd Eldredge, who in a few months will be challenging Weiss and Goebel for the national championship and Olympic berths, performed to "New York, New York," drawing a huge ovation from the crowd of 12,986.

Hamilton spoke directly to the audience before the rousing finale.

"In 1961, the U.S. figure skating team got hit hard," he said. "In 2001, New York and the United States got hit hard.

"We can be inspired by looking at how far U.S. figure skating has come. We are stronger and better than ever. And I know the United States is going to be stronger and better than ever."