The Patriot Post® · Another NHLer Stands Up for His Faith
One man with courage makes a majority.
There’s some debate about whether Andrew Jackson ever uttered those words, but their meaning is no less clear or compelling: If you have the guts to stand up for what you believe in, you may suffer for it, but others may be inspired to follow.
One such man of courage is James Reimer, a goalkeeper for the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks. As the San Jose Mercury News reports: “Reimer, citing his religious beliefs, didn’t take part in pregame warmups Saturday when the Sharks wore jerseys meant to show support for the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Reimer, who has split time in goal this year with Kaapo Kahkonen, watched from the bench as his team lost 4-1 to the visiting New York Islanders. He also issued a statement that was both powerful and graceful:
For all 13 years of my NHL career, I have been a Christian — not just in title, but in how I choose to live my life daily. I have a personal faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for my sins and, in response, asks me to love everyone and follow Him.
I have no hate in my heart for anyone, and I have always strived to treat everyone that I encounter with respect and kindness. 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.
I strongly believe that every person has value and worth, and the LGBTQIA+ community, like all others, should be welcomed in all aspects of the game of hockey.
Who could argue with that? The Left, of course.
“What he believes has harmed our community throughout history and it’s harming us right now,” said Suzanne Ford, executive director of San Francisco Pride. “The San Jose Sharks by itself ought to mean inclusion because it’s here in the Bay Area and people in the Bay Area support the San Jose Sharks.”
Translation: Celebrate us or else.
As Reimer told The Athletic, he began thinking about how he’d handle this moment last year, when he didn’t participate in the team’s Pride event due to injury. “There’s a bunch of teams starting to wear them,” he said, “and I just came to the conviction through my faith that it went against what I believe the Bible says. I don’t want to really go into too much detail about the behind-the-scenes stuff. But [I felt] the best way to stand up for what I believe in was just to not wear the jersey and then to try and make this as loving and least offensive as possible.”
We think he did just that.
Reimer isn’t the first NHLer to respectfully stand up for his Christian faith and against the Rainbow Mafia. Back in January, Ivan Provorov, a defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers, made his own Russian Orthodox Christian convictions known prior to a game in January by refusing to participate in the Flyers’ “Pride Night” event. Provorov refused to join in and didn’t participate in the warmups. He did, however, play in the game against the Anaheim Ducks, for which the team donned its regular home jerseys.
We think our Thomas Gallatin summed it up well at the time: “The only solution is for more principled Americans to stand against the tide and stand up for what they believe in irrespective of today’s woke bullies. Individual freedom is not found in agreeing with the mob but in refusing to capitulate and be ruled by the mob. Provorov, in his own quiet way, has served to remind Americans how this is done.”
Provorov then, Reimer now — and, we hope, other principled athletes to follow.
POSTSCRIPT: Ivan Provorov, at age 26, is a young star in the league. James Reimer, at 35, is not. And Reimer knows his refusal to bow to the Pride mob might well hurt his ability to make a living in the NHL past this season. “I mean, I think I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t something that crossed my mind, honestly,” he said Saturday. Reimer is at the end of his current contract, and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Which makes his principled stand that much more impressive.
“The people that know me well,” Reimer said, “every team knows that I give my all every day. That’s part of my personal convictions, again, from the Bible, to do everything with all your heart. When I go on the ice, I give it everything. When I go in the gym, I give it everything. When I go home, I give it everything. This is something that people might feel negatively about. But my faith in Christ is who I am, and that’s what makes me the competitor and the loyal teammate that I am, too.”