2023-12-27 22:49:22
Updated27. December 2023, 23:49
Hockey – Christmas series (1/5): Julien Sprunger: skiing, Asia and Jan Cadieux’s scooter
On the occasion of the end of year celebrations, lematin.ch went to meet the captains of the five French-speaking National League clubs. Place Julien Sprunger to begin this series of light and offbeat interviews.
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Chris Geiger
At 37, Julien Sprunger still dreams of winning the national title with his longtime club.
DR
Morning training ends at the BCF Arena. Julien Sprunger (37), whose contract with the Dragons was extended for one season on December 9, leaves the ice and returns to the Friborg locker room, his second home for more than twenty years. It is abandoned of its equipment and its skates, a shaker in hand and with a smile on his lips, he joins us in the press room of the former Saint-Léonard. For half an hour, Captain de Gottéron confides in his private life, his tastes and his memories.
What wish are you going to make for the new year?
Now that I have signed my new contract and have reached this milestone of 1000 matches, my dearest wish would be to be able to win the title before retiring from professional hockey.
The championship is currently on hiatus. What do you usually do on your days off?
My schedule is generally quite busy between training and media requests. Two followingnoons a week, I take care of my three children because my wife works. I also take advantage of these weeks without a match to set up one or another meeting. Having the weekend off is extremely rare, so I often plan a meal with friends on Saturday evening.
And during the holidays, what is your program?
I have lived in Estavayer-le-Lac for three years. I enjoy this region, especially during the off-season. I go to the lake, to the beach, with the children and my wife. We go paddle boarding or have a drink with our feet in the sand. I also started my boat license.
What is your dream destination?
I moved two years ago with my family to Paros, Greece. We loved this destination. I always had this dream of going around the world for six months or a year. With children, you’ll have to wait a little bit. Currently, I would like to discover Asia and countries like Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos.
Julien Sprunger with his wife Valentine and his children Achille, Louis and Eve.
Pascal Muller/freshfocus
The end of year celebrations are often synonymous with some deviations in terms of nutrition. Is this also your case?
As we don’t play once more before January 2, we can afford to enjoy these holidays. We have a good week to sweat in training and get back in shape. Be careful, it can’t be four or five days of bingeing. In my family, we really have this love of food. It’s not excessive, but I like to enjoy good products.
What was your menu at Christmas?
We still have traditions: we eat Chinese fondue at my father’s house, coq au vin with my in-laws. What is complicated is that we generally have meals on December 24. At noon then in the evening (laughs).
More generally, what is your guilty pleasure?
I love good wine, both red and white. At Christmas, it’s the opportunity to release good bottles and share them with everyone. For example, I received a nice bottle from my teammates for my 1000th match.
Do you have a restaurant in the region to recommend to Gottéron fans?
There are plenty of good restaurants in Fribourg. I would mention the restaurant “Le Pérolles” by Pierrot Ayer. He was the one who took care of my wedding. But I’m not the type to eat at fine restaurants every weekend. With the players of the team, we often go to the “World Cup”. The atmosphere is younger and there are quite a few students. At the start of my career, the pillars of the team like Wirz, Gerber, Marquis or Berger would go for a beer there following the matches. I discovered their stamm and it has remained a restaurant where we like to go.
If you weren’t a hockey player, what would your job be?
I’m going to have to find another job soon. (laughs). It was never my dream, but I realized through my career that I was extremely interested in everything related to the body. Whether nutrition, therapy, osteopathy or physiotherapy. I really enjoyed discovering how my body worked, how to take care of it, etc.…
What are your hobbies?
I spend a lot of time with my family, with my children. I like calm and nature. It feels good as we are on the move a lot the rest of the time.
Are you passionate regarding another sport?
I’m really looking forward to being able to go to the mountains for a week and ski when I retire. It’s a sport that I have always loved and I miss it a lot. For the moment, I have to make do with the snow garden to teach my children to ski.
We talked regarding hockey players’ contracts which are full of bans. On the contrary, what do you like most regarding ice hockey?
Above all, I love being able to practice my passion on a daily basis. I love being at the rink, with the guys. We laugh every day in the locker room. I really like the atmosphere, as does the rhythm. We do have constraints linked to matches, training and the season, but we also have a lot of time to spend with our families.
You evoke the good atmosphere. What is your best anecdote?
It dates back to the 2012-2013 season. In the middle of the championship, Joel Kwiatkowski had established a ritual in the locker room before each match. He was inspired by the television game “Family Feud” to pit two players once morest each other. At first, we would come in front of the rest of the group and just do a little dance or something simple. Then it started to gain momentum. The players started doing skits, coming in disguise to the locker room. The worst? That’s when Jan Cadieux showed up with a scooter in the locker room (laughs). He already had his equipment as we did this regarding twenty minutes before the warm-up. It was extraordinary! There was also that snowball fight in the locker room in Davos. It was a very special season: we were really united and we reached the play-off final!
On October 7, Julien Sprunger played his 1000th match in the top flight during a Zähringen derby once morest Bern.
Pascal Muller/freshfocus
Your best friend on the team?
Your strongest teammate?
Roman Cervenka was very impressive on a pure hockey level. This season’s Marcus Sörensen too. I remember that Sandy Jeannin impressed me, especially with her skating and her calmness. When David Desharnais joined Friborg during the lockout, he struck me with his playing intelligence and his technical abilities.
The strongest opponent?
I experienced both lockouts. Joe Thornton and Rick Nash in Davos were incredible, Dany Heatley in Bern too. Then Patrick Kane and Tyler Seguin in Bienne also had an impact on me. Collectively, the Zougois who won the title in 2021 and 2022 were real machines. As part of the Swiss team, I had the chance to face Canada at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. The team was incredible: I have never seen such a strong team! However, we only lost on penalties.
Your best career memory?
In terms of pure sport, the Vancouver Olympics were extraordinary. It was an accomplishment. Emotionally, however, there were other, stronger moments for me. I’m obviously thinking of the 2013 final, but also of my hat-trick which eliminated Zurich in the quarter-finals of these same play-offs. My 1000th match was also a very special moment.
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