San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer made headlines around the sports world on Saturday by refusing to participate in the team’s “Pride Night”.
As a way to promote more support and inclusion for members of the LGBTQ community, NHL teams will occasionally wear a pride-themed jersey in warmups. The Sharks are slated to warm them up ahead of Saturday night’s game against the New York Islanders.
Citing religious reasons, the veteran goaltender explained that he would be boycotting the warmups.
This isn’t the first instance of an NHL player boycotting Pride Night. Back in January, Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers decided against participating in the warmups while his teammates wore pride-themed jerseys. Provorov cited his religious reasons as well.
Last year, five players on the Tampa Bay Rays’ MLB team refused to wear pride patches on their uniforms. The five players were pitchers Jalen Beeeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs, Ryan Thompson and Jason Adam.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NHL stories via Google! Follow Us
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Reimer is in the midst of his third season with the Sharks. He is 10-17-7 on the year with a .895 save percentage (a career worst) and 3.26 goals against average (tied for a career low).
The 35-year-old Reimer has a career record of 202-165-60 to go along with a 2.84 goals against average and .912 save percentage. He has also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes.
San Jose enters Saturday night’s game as the worst team in the Western Conference with a record of 19-36-14. They’re set to miss out on the postseason for the fourth consecutive year.
