James Reimer

James Reimer (; born March 15, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Reimer has previously played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks. He was selected by the Maple Leafs in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2006 NHL entry draft. He started playing minor hockey in his hometown when he was 12. He played junior hockey with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League (WHL), after being selected in the fifth round of the 2003 WHL bantam draft.

After turning professional, Reimer played with the South Carolina Stingrays and Reading Royals of the ECHL, as well as the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was named the most valuable player of the ECHL playoffs, as the Stingrays won the Kelly Cup in 2009. Reimer made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs during the 2010–11 season and went on to replace Jean-Sébastien Giguère as the Maple Leafs' starting goaltender.

Reimer plays for Canada internationally, and first represented his country at the 2011 World Championship.

Playing career Minor Reimer started playing goaltender when his older brother, Mark, needed practice shooting but had no goaltender. A local minor hockey manager heard about his prowess in goal, and recruited him. His parents were unsure if minor hockey was the right fit for their son, so he did not play organized hockey until he was 12. He was first noticed by agent Ray Petkau when he was 13, after playing with a church team at a tournament in Steinbach, Manitoba. As of November 2011, Petkau was still his representative. He was the team's rookie of the year and top scholastic player after the 2002–03 season, and the most valuable player after the 2004–05 season.

Junior Reimer was selected by the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the fifth round of the 2003 WHL bantam braft, with a pick that originally belonged to the Spokane Chiefs. The team drafted Reimer largely on the word of a single scout, Carter Sears. After Reimer performed poorly during his first training camp with the club, Rebels head coach Brent Sutter wanted to release him, but Sears was persistent in his support for Reimer. His first season in the WHL was a poor one for the Rebels; Reimer played 34 games, recording only 7 wins. Reimer broke his hand late in the season, an injury which cost him a chance to play for Canada at the 2006 IIHF World U18 Championships. Reimer was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the fourth round, 99th overall, of the 2006 NHL entry draft. John Ferguson, Jr., the Maple Leafs' general manager at the time, remembers Reimer as an unfinished product needing time to develop, being "somewhat raw". During the 2006–07 WHL season, he played in 60 games with the Rebels, recording 26 wins, 23 losses and 7 ties, the only season in his WHL career Reimer finished with a winning record. In March 2008, the Maple Leafs signed Reimer to a three-year contract worth an annual base salary of $555,000, the minimum for an NHL player at the time.

Professional Toronto Maple Leafs alt=An ice hockey goaltender in a blue jersey and white pads crouches in front of a goal. After attending the Maple Leafs' training camp in September 2008, Reimer was assigned to their affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, of the American Hockey League (AHL). After starting the season with the Marlies, he was assigned to the Reading Royals of the ECHL. He was recalled by the Marlies and recorded his first AHL win by a score of 3–2 in a shootout on December 27, 2008, against the Manitoba Moose. In two stints with the Marlies, Reimer had a record of one win and two losses, with a goals against average (GAA) of 3.28 and a .882 save percentage. While with the Stingrays, Reimer helped them win the 2009 Kelly Cup championship. Recording four wins and one shutout over eight games in the post-season, he was named the ECHL playoffs Most Valuable Player. Back in the AHL, he spent the majority of the 2009–10 season with the Marlies, playing in 26 games and recording 14 wins. He had a GAA of 2.25 and a save percentage of .925. Serving as Joey MacDonald's backup, he did not receive any playing time in his first NHL call-up and was sent back to the Marlies on October 25. Reimer missed significant time with an ankle injury during the 2009–10 season. It was not the same ankle he injured during his final season with the Red Deer Rebels. He was recalled by the Maple Leafs several months into the season, making his NHL debut on December 20, 2010, in relief of Jonas Gustavsson against the Atlanta Thrashers. He played 14 minutes in the third period, stopping all four shots he faced. Reimer made his first NHL start against the Ottawa Senators on January 1, 2011. The Maple Leafs won the game 5–1, with Reimer recording 32 saves while picking up his first career NHL win. On February 3, 2011, Reimer recorded 27 saves and picked up his first career NHL shutout against the Carolina Hurricanes. A combination of injuries and poor play by Gustavsson and Jean-Sébastien Giguère provided an opportunity for Reimer at the NHL level. His strong play caused the Leafs to carry three goaltenders on their NHL roster, a fact which did not surprise Giguère, who said, "The way he played the last time he was up, you knew he was going to get another chance." Ron Wilson acknowledged Reimer as the team's starting goaltender as they set out on a late-season run for a playoff spot, saying, "It's going to be his ball the rest of the way. As long as we stay in the race. And I think he's up to it."

Reimer became a quick fan favourite during his rookie NHL season, earning the nicknames "Optimus Reim" and "The Statue". The former is a reference to the Transformers protagonist Optimus Prime, while the latter resulted from head coach Wilson's attempts to suppress the hype around the rookie goaltender only a short time into his NHL career, saying, "There's all this [attention] around here, a guy wins a game and we're ready to build a statue for him." Reimer's strong performance was recognized by the NHL when he was named Rookie of the Month for March 2011. Reimer would have become a restricted free agent on July 1, 2011, but he signed a three-year contract worth $5.4 million ($1.8 million salary cap hit) on June 9, 2011.

Reimer began the 2011–12 season as the starter going 4–0–1. He suffered an injury on October 22 in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. During the game, Reimer was run into by Brian Gionta—he finished the first period, but did not return after the intermission. The team called the injury whiplash despite rumours that he was suffering from a concussion. Reimer missed 19 games with the injury, and struggled upon his return, yielding some starts to Gustavsson. After recording two back-to-back shutouts on February 1 and 4, Reimer seemed to have solidified the starting position once again.

Near the end of March 2012, Reimer was starting to play to an acceptable standard again, but an upper-body injury (later revealed to be a neck injury) sidelined him for the remainder of the season from March 29. On April 9, he told the media he would be available by training camp in September 2012. Due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Reimer was afforded more time to heal and attended training camp in January 2013. Reimer held off an early challenge from rookie backup Ben Scrivens to remain Toronto's starting goaltender. On February 11, Reimer suffered a MCL strain which kept him out of action for a little over two weeks; he won all three of his next starts after returning. Upon returning, Reimer backstopped the Maple Leafs to their first playoff berth since 2004 and finishing the regular season with a career best 2.46 GAA and .924 save percentage in 34 games.

Prior to the 2013–14 season, the club acquired Jonathan Bernier from the Los Angeles Kings. At the beginning of the season, Reimer and Bernier were splitting time in the Toronto goal, but as the season progressed, Bernier cemented his status as the Leafs' starting goaltender. The Maple Leafs lost game 7 of the series against the Boston Bruins to end their 2013 playoff run, with Reimer giving up 3 goals with less than 11 minutes left in the third period to allow Boston to equalize from a 4-1 deficit before Boston scored the series winner against Reimer in overtime.

Following the 2013–14 season, Reimer became a restricted free agent. Dissatisfied with his role as the Leafs' backup, he requested a trade from the Leafs. On July 25, 2014, the Leafs and Reimer avoided a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for the next week by agreeing to terms on a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.3 million.

Reimer began the 2015–16 season as Bernier's backup, a role he had held since the team acquired the latter. However, Bernier was injured early in the season and Reimer was given starting duties. He took off with the job, going 3–0–0 with a 1.62 GAA and .952 save percentage to be named the third star for the week of November 9–15, 2015. Reimer would hold the position as Maple Leafs' starting goaltender for the rest of his tenure, earning praise for his play on a Toronto team that struggled throughout the year.

San Jose Sharks As the February 29 trade deadline approached, Reimer's future with the rebuilding Maple Leafs became uncertain. On February 27, 2016, two days before the deadline, Reimer was traded to the San Jose Sharks (alongside Jeremy Morin) in exchange for Alex Stalock, Ben Smith and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL entry draft (condition dependent on the Sharks reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, a condition met, converting the pick to a third-round pick on May 25, 2016). Reimer had the best five-on-five save percentage and the best Fenwick save percentage in the NHL for the 2015–16 season (1,200 minutes minimum time on ice) at .9404 and .9573 respectively.

Florida Panthers On July 1, 2016, as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, Reimer was signed to a five-year contract with the Florida Panthers.

During his time in Florida, Reimer split goaltending duties with Roberto Luongo, often playing more games due to Luongo's tendency towards injury. Reimer would earn his 100th win in the NHL during the 2016–17 season.

Carolina Hurricanes After three seasons with the Florida Panthers, Reimer was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Scott Darling and a 2020 sixth-round draft pick on June 30, 2019.

Second stint with San Jose On July 28, 2021, having left the Hurricanes as an unrestricted free agent, Reimer returned to the San Jose Sharks, signing a two-year, $4.5 million contract.

Detroit Red Wings On July 1, 2023, Reimer signed as an unrestricted free agent to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks On July 1, 2024, Reimer joined his sixth NHL club, initially adding a veteran presence in net to the Buffalo Sabres in signing a one-year, $1 million contract. Following training camp, the Sabres placed Reimer on waivers on October 6. On October 7, Reimer was claimed off waivers by the Anaheim Ducks. Remaining on the Ducks opening night roster as the backup, Reimer made two appearances to start the 2024–25 season losing both games he appeared in before he was later placed back on waivers following the return of starting goaltender John Gibson. On November 13, Reimer was re-claimed by the Sabres. Reimer made his debut for the Sabres on November 23 against the San Jose Sharks stopping 31 out of 33 shots and recording the win in a 4–2 victory.

Ottawa Senators Reimer went un-signed for much of the 2025 offseason, before signing a professional try-out agreement (PTO) to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 26, 2025. He was subsequently released on October 6, after allowing four goals on 28 shots to the Detroit Red Wings in his only preseason appearance.

After posting a .919 save percentage and 2.54 goals against average in two games for Canada at the 2025 Spengler Cup, the Ottawa Senators signed Reimer to a PTO with their AHL team, the Belleville Senators, on January 9, 2026. On January 12, Reimer subsequently signed a one-year contract with Ottawa for the remainder of the 2025–26 season.

International play Reimer's first brush with international hockey came near the end of the 2005–06 season. He was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2006 IIHF World U18 Championships, but was unable to compete due to a broken hand he suffered while playing for Red Deer. Reimer got his first win in the tournament beating Belarus 4–1. Reimer did not play in that year's tournament game when Canada lost to Russia in the quarterfinals and was eliminated. Reimer represented Canada at the 2025 Spengler Cup, serving as its starting goaltender.

Playing style Reimer plays in the butterfly style of goaltending. Observers have attributed Reimer's success during the 2010–11 season to his ability to maintain his focus and confidence.

Personal life Reimer was born in Arborg, Manitoba, to parents Harold and Marlene Reimer. His father owns a business moving homes. The couple has two daughters who were born in 2017 and 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while Reimer was a member of the Panthers.

Reimer is a practicing Christian, giving credit to God as a big part of his mental game. Citing his Christian faith, Reimer chose not to wear a pride-themed jersey during warmups before a game on March 18, 2023. Reimer issued a statement reading, in part, "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."

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2005–06 Red Deer Rebels WHL 34 7 18 3 1,709 80 0 2.81 .910 — — — — — — — — 2006–07 Red Deer Rebels WHL 60 26 23 7 3,339 148 3 2.66 .912 7 3 4 417 27 0 3.88 .871 2007–08 Red Deer Rebels WHL 30 8 15 4 1,668 76 1 2.73 .920 — — — — — — — — 2008–09 Toronto Marlies AHL 3 1 2 0 183 10 0 3.28 .880 — — — — — — — — 2008–09 Reading Royals ECHL 22 10 7 3 1,236 68 0 3.30 .904 — — — — — — — — 2008–09 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL 6 6 0 0 363 8 2 1.32 .961 8 4 1 497 18 1 2.17 .929 2009–10 Toronto Marlies AHL 25 14 8 2 1,520 57 1 2.25 .925 — — — — — — — — 2010–11 Toronto Marlies AHL 15 9 5 1 858 37 3 2.59 .920 — — — — — — — — 2010–11 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 37 20 10 5 2,080 90 3 2.60 .921 — — — — — — — — 2011–12 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 34 14 14 4 1,879 97 3 3.10 .900 — — — — — — — — 2012–13 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 33 19 8 5 1,856 76 4 2.46 .924 7 3 4 439 21 0 2.88 .922 2013–14 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 36 12 16 1 1,785 98 1 3.29 .911 — — — — — — — — 2014–15 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 35 9 16 1 1,767 93 0 3.16 .907 — — — — — — — — 2015–16 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 32 11 12 7 1,810 75 0 2.49 .918 — — — — — — — — 2015–16 San Jose Sharks NHL 8 6 2 0 481 13 3 1.62 .938 1 0 0 30 1 0 2.06 .857 2016–17 Florida Panthers NHL 43 18 16 5 2,325 98 3 2.53 .920 — — — — — — — — 2017–18 Florida Panthers NHL 44 22 14 6 2,412 120 4 2.99 .913 — — — — — — — — 2018–19 Florida Panthers NHL 36 13 12 5 1,806 93 0 3.09 .900 — — — — — — — — 2019–20 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 25 14 6 2 1,379 61 3 2.66 .914 3 2 1 179 7 0 2.36 .934 2020–21 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 22 15 5 2 1,332 59 0 2.66 .906 — — — — — — — — 2021–22 San Jose Sharks NHL 48 19 17 10 2,673 129 1 2.90 .911 — — — — — — — — 2022–23 San Jose Sharks NHL 43 12 21 8 1,335 147 3 3.48 .890 — — — — — — — — 2023–24 Detroit Red Wings NHL 25 11 8 2 1352 60 2 3.11 .904 — — — — — — — — 2024–25 Anaheim Ducks NHL 2 0 2 0 120 9 0 4.50 .864 — — — — — — — — 2024–25 Buffalo Sabres NHL 22 10 8 2 1243 59 1 2.85 .901 — — — — — — — — 2025–26 Belleville Senators AHL 1 0 1 0 59 6 0 6.05 .786 — — — — — — — — 2025–26 Ottawa Senators NHL 14 7 4 2 818 33 1 2.42 .886 — — — — — — — —NHL totals 539 232 191 67 29,651 1,410 32 2.88 .909 11 5 5 646 29 0 2.70 .925

International