- Content: How NHL Goalie James Reimer Puts His Faith First
By Movieguide® Contributor
In a recent podcast appearance, San Jose Sharks goalkeeper James Reimer spoke about his faith and the experience of being a Christian in the NHL.
Reimer grew up in a small Canadian town, where he attended a Christian school, providing him with biblical knowledge as a strong foundation for his faith. It was during his teenage years, as he approached the NHL draft, that he came into his faith.
“We had this revival thing when I was 12 or 13, [I was] baptized [at] 15, [at] 18 there was something else,” he said. “I felt like when my faith really became my own was towards the end of my junior career probably when I was 18, 19. I was living as a Christian, you know what I mean, going to church and whatnot, but when I really came into my own was probably my late teens.”
Reimer was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leaves in 2006, who he made his NHL debut with 4 years later. Since then, he has remained in the league for 13 seasons, playing for Florida and Carolina, along with his current team: San Jose.
The goalie believes that being a Christian and trusting in God’s plan for him takes some of the pressure off of his performances.
“I think I’ve always had faith that God is in control,” Reimer said. “Obviously you try to do well with what you’re given, and honor him with how hard you work and how diligent you are with your task. I think that a really important part in being a Christian is doing things well for Him but just understanding that he’s in control.”
“Having that peace and whatnot, I think that’s kinda the biggest thing in pro sports,” he continued. “There’s so much craziness, the wind and the waves you could call it, Peter walking on the water, that’s one of my favorite verses and I think it relates to pro sports fairly well and so just learning and understanding just to keep your eyes on Christ and try and block out the rest of the madness.
The scene of Peter walking on water has been a special verse in Reimer’s life. He has placed the verses from Matthew 14 on the backplate of most of his helmets, reminding himself that if he can keep his eyes on Jesus he’ll stay above the waters.
To keep his eyes on Jesus and maintain his faith throughout the long NHL season, Reimer has found a community within his San Jose church to provide him with spiritual support.
“One thing I’ve been super blessed to have is my pastor of the church that we go to for the summers. He’s been my mentor and the guy that’s kept me sane and really helped in my walk and my faith and keep my eyes on Christ,” he said. “I have a regular chat with him and a bunch of men from my church back where I spend my summers and so whether it’s just prayer requests or different things you are going through or whatnot, prayer is so important so I have a group of men, that whether I going through stuff daily or weekly, whether its family or in my spiritual walk, or in the game, they’re there to lift me up in prayer and give advice and whatnot.”
One thing that this community has helped Reimer with is keeping his joy tied to the Lord rather than having it rise up and down with the ebbs and flows of his career.
“Finding a way to hold your career with open hands, because that allows you to be gracious and have gratitude and be thankful when its going well and to not be stuck in the dumps when things go terrible. It just comes back to its His, everything good comes from Him and so He’s given you the ability to play. The things that had to take place for me to play… He’s allowed me to be here, and He’s ordained it, so you just hold your career with open hands.”
Given his tenure in the league, many players now look up to Reimer and even players with no interest in faith will talk with him about the subject, a position that Reimer does not take for granted. Rather than preaching to players or compromising his beliefs to win them over, his main focus is to be authentic and let his attitude reflect Jesus.
“Pretty much every day when I come into the rink I’m praying ‘God use me somehow today and give me words if I need it or just help me have an attitude that glorifies you,’” he said. “I think it’s just trying to find those times, you know those guys that are on the team that are searching or are interested in faith more and you chat with them and see how they’re doing and if they have questions or what they’re reading or is there anything you can shed some light on or help them through their life.”
“You also try and seek out guys whose that maybe life isn’t going so great… just making sure they’re doing alright and if there’s anything you can do for them and just letting them know you’re there,” he continued. “I try and say what needs to be said but also just trying to be real with them and have real conversations and just be there is they need to have a chat or just someone to hang out with.”
Reimer is truly a light in a league that needs the gospel. It is encouraging for kids to have a strong player to look up to that puts Christ at the center of his life. Reimer is just one strong example of this in the NHL.
Movieguide previously reported on an NHL star:
Former NHL player Mike Fisher recently shared about his faith journey and the difference God makes in his life.
Fisher joined the NHL when he was just 19 years old.
“[I was] making a lot of money and making bad choices,” Fisher shared. “There was emptiness.”
He was living with his cousin during this time, who saw that Fisher was struggling with his newfound fame and money. His cousin brought him to a Bible study, where Fisher read Luke 9:23-26:
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [a]daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. (NKJV)
“That just broke me right there,” Fisher remembered. “That’s exactly where I was. I was losing my soul…I didn’t know how to deal with the sin and the shame.”
Fisher repented and prayed, dedicating his life to Jesus.
“I was baptized when I was 22 years old and everything changed,” he shared. “I had a new purpose. The purpose was to glorify God with the gift that He gave me.”
He concluded, “I’m so grateful for Him drawing me to Himself, and the grace that He’s extended to me. I know what it is to find true life.”
- Content: +1Share:
- Content: +1