The San Jose Sharks held a Pride Night on Saturday and wore “special” jerseys designed by a gay artist from the city. However, one of the Sharks guards objected to the Virtue signaling effort.
FoxNews reported that Sharks goaltender James Reimer refused to wear the jersey and decided to boycott the team’s warm-ups ahead of their home game against the New York Islanders.
Reimer said the jerseys conflicted with his religious beliefs.
He read a statement at a press conference which was later posted on the Sharks’ Twitter account:
For the 13 years of my NHL career, I have been a Christian – not just in title, but in the way I choose to live my daily life.
I have a personal faith in Jesus Christ, who died on a cross for my sins and in response asks me to love everyone and follow him.
I have no hatred in my heart for anyone and have always tried to treat everyone I meet with respect and kindness.
“In this specific instance, I am choosing not to endorse something that goes against my personal beliefs which are based on the Bible, the highest authority in my life.
I strongly believe that every person has value and value and that the LGBTQIA+ community, like all others, should be welcomed into all aspects of the game of hockey.
A statement from goalkeeper, James Reimer: pic.twitter.com/GwhWxhbmb4
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 18, 2023
Here is Reimer’s full press conference (he reads the statement at the start)
Reimer isn’t the first NHL player to refuse to wear an LGBTQ jersey. Gateway Pundit readers will remember two months of Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov cited his Russian Orthodox beliefs by boycotting his team’s warm-ups while others wore gay pride shirts.
The NHL has tried for years to position itself as the most woke sports league in America, even at the expense of the players security. We can now console ourselves that the players are pushing back.