NEW FLEET COACH KRIS SPARRE HAS MADE IT FROM GERMAN ICE TO BOSTON’S BRIGHT LIGHTS

The first time Kris Sparre wandered through Boston’s North End, filled with block after block of Italian restaurants of all stripes, he felt like he had stumbled into a personal paradise. “I went to the North End and I was in heaven,” the new Boston Fleet coach said of a highlight of his time in Boston earlier this summer. “They have like 100 Italian restaurants and they’re all good.”

For the 38-year-old Sparre, who spent, in his words, “his 20s in Europe” as a professional player in Germany, food is more than indulgence. It’s a thread that connects his years as a professional player in Europe to his family life now, back home in Burlington, Ontario and, soon, Boston. Cooking became his escape overseas, when long afternoons after practice left him free to browse fish markets and pick up fresh ingredients. “I really became a bit of a cook over there,” he told us in a recent phone interview. “I still love cooking, actually. Sometimes my wife is like, ‘Can’t we do something simple tonight?’ [laughs] But it’s a release for me. It’s a hobby. I really like making Italian food.”

Those years in Germany shaped Sparre as much as any shift on the ice. He went over at 21, just a small-town Canadian kid trying to make it as a pro.

“I remember my first season; I got off the plane and I’m in a small town hearing a foreign language. I wasn’t used to that so there were some hard days at first. But I started to see the beauty of being there.”

Sparre played almost a decade in Germany, a career made possible when he and his older brother, Daniel, discovered they could claim German citizenship through family heritage and join the country’s top league without counting as “import” players (who have limits regarding how many are on a European club roster) like the average American or Canadian player. “That league was one of the best ones in Europe and since we were not imports, we were highly wanted. That’s how that shaped up. It was a great way of life.”

Kris and Daniel grew up in Greater Toronto as inseparable teammates and competitors. “My brother and I were thick as thieves,” Sparre said. “He’s 2 ½ years older than me. We’d play street hockey till dark.” Both broke into junior hockey, then turned pro, and for a time even found themselves skating against each other in Germany. Today, Daniel sells real estate just minutes from Kris’s home in Burlington, but those years abroad still bind the brothers together.

Living in Europe became about far more than hockey. He met his future wife in Canada, but she was more than willing to spend the bulk of their time in Germany. “She had spent many years in Brussels so spending years with me there was not a big deal,” he said. Together, they took advantage of the continent’s proximity and cultural richness. “You’re so close to other countries and cultures over there. You can jump on a train and go to France, Netherlands, Italy. In three hours, you can be in a place with new language, new food—it just gives you more to talk about.”

When Sparre’s playing career ended, coaching brought him back to North America, initially with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs. He later had a stint back in Europe coaching Red Bull Salzburg in Austria before returning to work for the Flint Firebirds of the OHL and then, most recently, as an assistant for the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Along the way, Sparre built a reputation for clarity and connection, qualities that led Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer to call him an “elite communicator” in the press conference that introduced him to the Boston market.

Sparre’s new role with the Fleet is his introduction to Boston, a city he had barely known before this summer. “I spent about a week there around signing, but had never really spent much time there previously,” he said. “I didn’t have any real Boston memories. Played in the Chowder Cup and stuff like that but I couldn’t recall anything specific. It was really nice to get acclimated and get to know the area. It’s a great sports city. I’ve been blown away by the support from the other teams. The GM from the NWSL team showed up... coaches from the Boston Bruins, Providence Bruins, it’s been welcoming for sure.”

What he brings to the Fleet is a philosophy grounded in respect for the game and the people who play it. Asked about differences between men’s and women’s hockey, Sparre brushed aside the idea. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about this, and the more I get into it, the less I see them. The game of hockey is played with a puck, a stick, a net... I’ve been on the ice with elite women’s groups, and then the men after, and nothing changes from how I’m coaching. I’m having a hard time finding a difference.”

That approach, paired with his personal history of adapting to new environments, is why Boston feels like such a natural fit. He isn’t looking to reinvent what’s already in place but to nurture it. “I think you want to leave a situation better than what it was,” he said of joining the third-year club. “My goal is to continue to build on the culture and the performance that’s been built in Boston. There are a lot of good pieces in place. Danielle Marmer has done an excellent job. I want people to say that this was a coach who invested in his players, the community and his team, and we’re better for that. And hopefully can take some of that with them for the rest of their lives after as well.”