Former Leafs goalie drags Nazem Kadri into Pride Night snub; Former Leafs GM Brian Burke publicly slams Reimer's decision

In a move that has garnered equal parts support and condemnation, James Reimer refused to take to the ice wearing a Pride Night jersey for warm ups last night. Instead, he sat in the dressing room and, I assume, read bible verses. Reimer's assertion that his devout Christian faith was the reason for not wearing the jersey kind of falls apart when you consider the fact that the Bible also says anyone who works on the Sabbath (Saturday) is to be put to death. Even if you want to argue that Sunday is the true Sabbath, I'm sure Reimer has either played or practiced on a Sunday during his lengthy career.. I mean, if you're going to call yourself a devout Christian, you probably shouldn't be picking and choosing which parts to follow and which parts to ignore. If you are picking and choosing, why choose to follow the parts that exclude and alienate others? Seems to go against the whole message of the Bible, but I digress.

Stumbling for an excuse when questioned about his refusal to participate, Reimer somehow managed to rope former Leafs teammate Nazem Kadri into things, because of his Muslim faith.


I'm not sure how Reimer thought that dragging Kadri into things was going to help, aside from letting everyone know he's also got a problem with the Muslim faith. It's a case of a bad look made even worse, and one that Brian Burke, an LGBTQIA+ advocate, took issue with.


For those who aren't aware, Burke's son, Brendan, was an outspoken opponent of homophobia in sports. Brendan was a Usports athlete who came out in 2009 and spent his life trying to make things better for athletes of all sexual orientations and genders. Brendan was tragically killed in a car accident in 2010. Brian Burke was always supportive of his son, and continues to champion equal rights in his memory.

Following Reimer's comments regarding Pride Night, Burke released this statement.


No matter where you stand on the debate, Burke's comments are undeniably correct. It's about welcoming everyone. It's about spreading the message that hockey, the least diverse major sport in North America and the least accessible, is trying to change. That's a good thing.

Reimer has every right to his freedom of expression. If he doesn't want to put on the jersey, he obviously doesn't have to. I will say that him hiding behind the Bible is cowardly, and that fans who are angered by his decision are also free to express their displeasure.