FLAMESTR

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Calgary, AB • Canada • 55 Years Old • Male

In Conversatiion wit a proud Father James Spratt Dad

I would like to thank Mr. Spratt Personally he was a great to allow me some time with him. I can tell, what the Flames see in James Spratt you can tell a lot about man by his dad thanks so much again. I will posting another interview with Mr Severen in a couple of days both men deserve equal time.

Interview with Mr. Spratt

Jimmy's Dad

Flamestr:I asked Mr. Severyn first of all about the USA program. What did you think of the USA program that James went through?

Spratt: Jimmy never played in the USA developmental program. He played in the midget major program coming up, and then when he went to juniors he went and played in the USHL, which is the top junior program in the United States.

Flamestr: Now he mentioned something interesting. He was never nervous, but you told me that it is hard a father, watching this.

Spratt: Well, because of the position, with my son being a goaltender. It is hard to watch, because obviously if you know the game, it is probably the most critical position out there.

Flamestr: It is, absolutely.

Spratt: And when the puck goes in, you hurt just like your kid hurts.

Flamestr: Now I noticed one thing when James talked to me. He's very hard on himself in a lot of ways, isn't he? Has he always been hard on himself, demanding the best out of himself? That's probably what makes him a good goaltender, isn't it?

Spratt: Yeah, he puts a lot of pressure on himself to train hard, to perform well. All of these boys at this level probably put a lot of pressure on themselves.

Flamestr: When the Flames contact him, do they go through you, or do they go through him? Do you hear when he gets contacted by scouts? Do they involve you at all?

Spratt: Usually they just go through him. Probably the person he has the most contact with would be the goaltender coach, Dave Marcoux.

Flamestr: Yeah, he's good, isn't he?

Spratt: Oh, he's the best. He's the best. He's taught my son a lot. He's spent a lot of time with him. It's been great.

Flamestr: This is one question I wish I had asked Mr. Severyn, but I'll ask you. What is one thing that you think your son has learned the most in these prospect camps?

Spratt: Absolutely. It would be the dedication, the commitment it takes to excel at this level. Once you get here, you are with the cream of the crop, and there is no slacking off. You have to be physically and mentally prepared.

Flamestr: How are the four goalies? Are they close? Do they talk a lot together? How do they interact?

Spratt: I know they all respect each other, and they push each other to perform well. I don't know how close they are personally. Jimmy is staying with Leland Irving this week at the camp, and he says he is a great kid, a great goalie.

Flametr: They all are. I think all four are very good at this moment.

Spratt: I think a lot of that has to do be attributed to Dave Marcoux. You can see the style they all play, they all play the style that he teaches, and they are very well coached and very well taught.

Flamestr: Some people were talking to me, some fans, and they noticed one thing about James that he has above the other three; and that is his lateral movement. Where did he learn that? I've never seen a quicker goalie side-to-side. Where did he pick up on that?

Spratt: I don't know. He does, he moves quick. One thing that has really helped him a lot was when he came to camp last year, he was 6'1”, 193 lbs. He dropped 15 lbs before he came to this camp, he's playing at 178 lbs.

Flamestr: Is that by design or a mistake?

Spratt: Oh yeah, when you lose that weight, it quickens you up. He's always been fast, but this has made him even quicker.

Flamestr: Oh boy. He is so quick from one end to the other, and on that two-on-two drill we watched this morning, he is just so quick going from one end to the other. And of course he made the glove save of the morning. I don't know if you heard the fans scream, but they were screaming when they saw it. And the kids told me to tell you that he is probably the most impressive, the biggest surprise. Then I informed them they obviously have not seen him the last two years; because this is no surprise to you how he has done this round, is it?

Spratt: I think the thing that I am the proudest of him is the fact that he plays well. All of these goalies play well. They are all going to go somewhere. All four of these goalies are going to play somewhere at a professional level somewhere. They are all good, they are all a product of Davd Marcoux. The thing that I am proudest of with my son is just the work ethic. The way he changed his diet, the way he exercises, he takes this extremely seriously.

Frlamest: He has to.

Spratt: He has to. The work ethic is really impressive. He has really buckled down.

Flamestr: Like I said, he has been terrific. Is there anything else you would like to tell the Calgary fans?

Spratt: Beautiful city, beautiful arena, first-class organization. I root for the team that my son plays for, so I root for the Calgary Flames as long as my son plays here. I also like the Detroit Red Wings, but wherever my son is, that's my team.

Flamestr: I'm going to get your e-mail address, so if any of the fans have any questions for you, I will e-mail them.


Flamestr

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