James Reimer

James Reimer (born March 15, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Reimer has also played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks and Carolina Hurricanes.

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.

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).

Reimer was selected by the Red Deer Rebels in the fifth round of the 2003 Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft, 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.

Reimer made the club in his third attempt after having been cut the previous two seasons.

His first season in the WHL was a poor one for the Rebels; Reimer played 34 games, recording only 7 wins.

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.

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 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".

At the time of the draft, Reimer was preparing for his high school graduation and did not attend the event in Vancouver.

He said, "I made a decision not to pay a lot of attention because I was reluctant to get my hopes too high."

His agent, Ray Petkau, called with the news about being drafted and later brought him his Maple Leafs jersey and hat that draftees receive.

Prior to the draft, Reimer had mentioned he would like to be drafted by the Los Angeles Kings, saying, "I'd love to play hockey in all that sunshine."

Reimer attended training camp with the Maple Leafs in 2006 and 2007, but was returned to the Rebels both times.

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.

The 2007–08 WHL season was Reimer's final season in the WHL.

He suffered a torn ligament in his ankle and only appeared in 30 games.

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.

The deal included a $180,000 signing bonus and playing incentives that could increase the total value of the contract to $1.8 million.

After attending the Maple Leafs' training camp in September 2008, Reimer was assigned to 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.

With the Royals, Reimer had a record of ten wins, seven losses and three ties.

At the ECHL trade deadline, Reimer was moved to the South Carolina Stingrays, a team that had gone through eight goaltenders during the season.

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.

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.

Reimer played his last seasons of minor hockey for the Interlake Lightning of the Manitoba "AAA" Midget league.