Citing his religious beliefs, San Jose Sharks netminder James Reimer has declined to wear a Pride Night or participate in warmups ahead of Saturday's showdown with the New York Islanders. The veteran goaltender’s teammates will be wearing the uniform as a show of support for the LGBTQIA+ community.
“In this specific instance, I am choosing not to endorse something that is counter to my personal convictions which are based on the Bible, the highest authority in my life,” the 34-year-old goalie wrote.
Reimer said that the gesture was not intended to discourage anyone from joining the hockey community. The Sharks organization shared Reimer’s statement about the planned absence on Twitter.
The Sharks’ Pride Night is the latest of many throughout the league this season. Their rollout has not been without controversy.
In January, Philadelphia Flyers’ defenseman Ivan Provorov decided to skip warmups to avoid donning a rainbow jersey. Like Reimer, he pointed to his faith. Provorov’s actions found him at the center of a league-wide dialogue.
After the New York Rangers advertised that they would wear the jersey, they came under fire for failing to do so during the warmups before their Pride Night. The neighboring Islanders also decided to forgo the jerseys while citing team policy.
Elsewhere in the NHL, the Minnesota Wild were speculated to have scrapped the warmup uniforms to avoid blowback on star player Kirill Kaprizov, whose native Russia punishes public shows of support for the gay community.
The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:30 PST for Saturday's Sharks-Islanders showdown.
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