Garret Sparks is in the middle of one of the most interesting battles in camp for the Maple Leafs, fighting for the backup role with veteran Curtis McElhinney.



He is also, generally speaking, one of the most interesting people in the organization. Never afraid to speak his mind or show his emotions, Sparks is an open book by hockey player standards.



I figured he would be a great candidate for a Q&A as he tries to win an NHL job to start the season for the first time.



Here’s a lightly edited version of our conversation after a recent practice.



There are some fans — those who don’t follow the Marlies maybe — who best remember you from the 17 games you played with the Leafs three years ago, when the team really struggled. (Sparks went 6-9-1 with an .893 save percentage.) How are you a different goalie than three years ago? What’s changed the most?



When I was up with that team, there was a lot of...