Sharks goalie latest player to refuse to wear pride jersey

San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer. Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Sharks goalie latest NHL player to refuse to wear pride jersey

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 3/19/23

The NHL's annual pride nights have become a lightning rod for controversy this season as several players and teams have declined to wear the rainbow warmup jerseys that are usually associated with the event.

San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer has become the latest player to decline.

The Sharks' annual pride game is on Saturday, and they have made it a point to use stoppages in play during the broadcast to share facts and information about LGBTQIA+ platforms.

Along with that, Sharks players are going to wear rainbow pride jerseys during warmups.

But Reimer informed the team this week that he would be skipping the pre-game warmup and cited his religious beliefs as the reason why.

A statement from Goaltender, James Reimer: pic.twitter.com/GwhWxhbmb4
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 18, 2023

The Sharks also released a statement on Saturday.

A statement from the San Jose Sharks: pic.twitter.com/nnhkcBS07V
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 18, 2023

NHL teams have been taking part in pride night for years, and wearing rainbow jerseys and stick tape during warmups has been one of the things that always go along with that.

It was never really an issue until earlier this season when Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov did not take part in warmups. Since then several teams, including the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, have declined to wear pride jerseys after initially saying they would wear them.

Reimer is the latest player to make that decision.

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