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Andrei Bykov: Do you want to start with light or serious questions?
Julien Sprunger: Oh, you have serious ones too? Then I would say we start with an easy question.
Bykov: Was there a piece of equipment in your career that you forgot before a match?
Sweater: I expected worse (laughs). Makes me think: no. I never forgot my skates or my poles. I’m sure of it. I always do a full scan of my equipment before leaving my field when we play away. I think I’m quite conscientious. But since you asked me this question, have you forgotten something?
Bykov: That never happened to me with the professionals. But among the juniors I once arrived without pants and breastplate.
Sweater: A strong stretch, that means you forgot three quarters of your bag, it must have felt light (laughs). We knew each other then, but not as well as we do now. I remember how you showed up with your grid helmet. You were very thin. You’re pretty strong today.
Bykov: You had already been with the first team for two or three years. You were also further along in life; we hardly ever traveled together. We made up for that later… What was the funniest thing we experienced?
Sweater: Dare I say that today?
Bykov: I think that’s why we’re here…
Sweater: It is not a one-time event, but rather a phase. When we reached the final in 2013 we had an incredible group in the dressing room. Joel Kwiatkowski (Defender from Canada, editor) had introduced a tradition inspired by the American TV series ‘Family Duel’. He stood in front of us and introduced two players who had to put on a little show. That was shortly before the game started, we already had skates on our feet.
Bykov: It started with small, funny sketches.
Sweater: We’ve seen scenes that made you cry. Sometimes I think it was almost impossible to play professionally after that. The coach knew. There was such a cohesion and such a looseness that to a certain extent it wasn’t a problem. In the quarter-finals we were 3-0 ahead and Biel made it 3-3. After this match Hans Kossmann said (the then coach, the editor)that it was now over. We did it and we made it to the final. We have also been through a lot. We had a snowball fight in the locker room in Davos and the fire brigade almost came to the Spengler Cup. Our skit used fireworks, which set off the fire alarm during the tournament. That never came to fruition – until now. I won’t say who – he will identify himself – but a former player who is still active in hockey organized a motocross show.
Bykov: There was a show with scooters, after which tire tracks could be seen in the dressing room. When the coach came to give his speech, the entire locker room smelled of gasoline.
Sweater: We still have a few videos of it and we still talk about it today. It was pretty crazy.
Bykov: You have now reached the magic mark of 1000 games. But there is one thing you still love, just like on the first day: being on the ice for the first confrontation, in the front row. Why?
Sweater: (Laughs.) I think we’re about to bust a myth: I hate being on the ice for the first showdown.
Bykov: But I don’t know many who don’t want that.
Sweater: That was always the case. I like to jump on the ice when the game is already in progress. Standing there with the first bully isn’t for me. There are players who see this as a gift from the coach. Not me.
Bykov: Is that only the case when the puck is first thrown into play, or does that also apply to every third period?
Sweater: Even before the other third. When the coach says my line is about to start, everyone turns to me and laughs. You know this bothers me (laughs).
Bykov: When we played together regularly, I knew I would never get into the game.
Sweater: Never. We often went onto the ice against the opponent’s third line. But not against the first or second.
Bykov: That’s why we scored a lot of goals and scored a lot of points (laughs).
Sweater: The first rows were often those of foreigners. Nowadays this is even more common. But that’s fine with me.
Bykov: Do you regret never playing for another club? Would you want another player to do what you did?
Sweater: 200 percent! If a player dreams of spending his entire career at one club, I tell him to do it.
Bykov: So this wish was greater for you than the desire to see what it was like at another club?
Sweater: Absolute! But I find it easy to say that. I’m 37 and have spent my entire career in Fribourg. I sometimes had to make difficult decisions, whether it was sporting or family related. I love this club, it is the club of my life and my second family. People know I could have gone to Zurich, Bern or the US. Each time I asked myself a lot of questions. I’ve never turned down an offer without thinking about it. If there is one thing I could wish for a young person, it is that he or she can afford the same luxury: the choice to stay. If you feel like it, you can continue to wear the sweater you love. Even if you have a name, you become a number these days.
Bykov: 1000 games – is that something special?
Sweater: It is a very big step to be included in this circle. There aren’t many players who can do that. This is something completely extraordinary. It makes me proud.
Bykov: Why do you still sit on the players’ bench at the end of a period before going to the locker room?
Sweater: It’s nothing special or something I think about. It is a quiet moment in which you can release the pressure. I untie the laces, take a quick breath, and think about what I might say in the locker room. There are times when I know I have to say something.
Bykov: I picked up this habit from you. And I immediately loved that silence before returning to the noise of the locker room. Are there any personalities you took something from that inspired you?
Sweater: I don’t have a specific mentor. For me, sport in general is a role model. It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I already follow Roger Federer from afar. The way he acted, his speeches, his interviews – I loved seeing how simple and respectful he was. On the other hand, I don’t have anyone’s biography on my bedside table, nor have I ever imitated or been inspired by anyone.
Bykov: If you had not become an ice hockey player, would you have tried to make a career as a football player?
Sweater: As a child there were football and ice hockey in my life until I had to choose. Becoming a professional is every child’s dream. I also have to laugh today that my two children dream of becoming football players, and not ice hockey players. And I have to explain to them that in life there is not only sports, while in life I only do sports (laughs).
Bykov: Our relationship has changed a lot. At first we were just friends messing around. Then we realized it’s something more than that. We have always been very close, even though we are very different.
Sweater: Our connection started when we played on the same page. We found each other on the ice with our eyes closed. We spoke the same language. You are in the same dressing room with some players, but in the end you don’t develop a bond like we do.
Bykov: What question were you afraid I would ask you?
Sweater: I’m glad you didn’t say, “Which coach did you like the least?” or “Which player do you remember least?” you asked. You know it’s not my style to point fingers at others. Mainly because everyone gave me something. And I’m glad you didn’t ask me about my injuries too. I have no problem talking about it. But the subject often comes up in interviews. I was MVP one season. No one talks to me about it while everyone talks about my concussion.
Bykov: What question would you like me to ask you?
Sweater: Who was your favorite player of the past twenty years?
Bykov: And what is the answer?
Sweater: Obviously it’s you. You shaped my career. I don’t know how many of the 1,000 games we played together, but I think it was around 700.
|
team
|
SP
|
T.D
|
PT
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
 HC Fribourg-Gotteron
|
11
|
15
|
25
|
|
|
2
|
 ZSC Lions
|
9
|
20
|
21
|
|
|
3
|
 SC Bern
|
10
|
7
|
21
|
|
|
4
|
 SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
|
10
|
4
|
17
|
|
|
5
|
 EV train
|
10
|
2
|
16
|
|
|
6
|
 Lausanne HC
|
11
|
4
|
16
|
|
|
7
|
 HC Davos
|
9
|
8th
|
14
|
|
|
8th
|
 HC Ambri-Piotta
|
10
|
3
|
14
|
|
|
9
|
 Geneva-Servette HC
|
10
|
-11
|
14
|
|
|
10
|
 EHC Kloten
|
10
|
-7
|
12
|
|
|
11
|
 EHC Biel
|
10
|
-6
|
12
|
|
|
12
|
 HC Lugano
|
10
|
-8th
|
12
|
|
|
13
|
 SCL Tigers
|
10
|
-15
|
11
|
|
|
14
|
 HC Ajoie
|
10
|
-16
|
5
|
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
