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The San Jose Sharks home game against the New York Islanders will be long remembered by Sharks goaltender James Reimer. The substitute did not even play for his team that evening.
Reimer’s behavior before the two teams met is far more responsible for the mass criticism now pouring down on the 35-year-old.
Reimer insists on his faith
Saturday’s NHL game at San Jose’s SAP Center should be a special occasion. With a Pride Night, the franchise wanted to support the LGBTQ+ community. Under the motto Love Wins, the message should be underlined that Sharks Stadium is “an inclusive, welcoming and safe place for all visitors”, according to the club’s message.
As part of this motto night, all San Jose players also skated onto the ice wearing special jerseys to warm up. Also on it: the rainbow flag.
James Reimer refused to wear the specially made bibs. He is convinced that the LGBTQ+ community should also be welcome in ice hockey. Yet he refused to show support in this way. Reimer himself justified this step with his Christian faith.
“It goes against my beliefs”
In a goaltender statement released by the San Jose Sharks ahead of the game, Reimer said, “I don’t hate anyone and I’ve always tried to treat everyone with respect. In this particular case, I chose not to support anything that goes against my personal beliefs, which are based on the Bible, the highest authority in my life.”
Reimer isn’t the first NHL star to turn down his own team’s Pride campaign. Only last January, the Russian Ivan Provorov (26) of the Philadelphia Flyers did not go on the ice because of this.
The players don’t have to worry about a penalty. In this context, the NHL explicitly states that the players are “free to decide which initiatives they support”.
A side note of the evening in San Jose: The Islanders won the away game at the Sharks 4-1. (cat)
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Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
