James Reimer James Reimer ( born March 15 , 1988 ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . Reimer 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 . Reimer 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 . He plays for Canada internationally , and first represented his country at the 2011 World Championship . Playing career . Minor hockey . Reimer started playing goalie when his older brother , Mark needed practice shooting . A local minor hockey coach 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 March 2011 , Petkau was still his representative . Reimer played his last seasons of minor hockey for the Interlake Lightning of the Manitoba " AAA " Midget league . 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 hockey . 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 . Reimer broke his hand late in the season , an injury which cost him a chance to play for Team Canada at the 2006 IIHF World U18 Championships . Despite his poor statistics , Reimer was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fourth round ( 99th overall ) of the 2006 National Hockey League ( 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 , British Columbia . 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 that 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 , Reimer played in 60 games with the Rebels , and recording 26 wins , 23 losses and 7 ties . This was the only season in his WHL career that 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 deal included a $ 180 , 000 signing bonus and playing incentives that could increase the total value of the contract to $ 1 . 8 million . His base salary was $ 555 , 000 — the minimum salary for an NHL player . Professional hockey . After attending the Maple Leafs training camp in September 2008 , he was assigned to the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League ( AHL ) . After starting the season with the Marlies , Reimer 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 . The deal was facilitated to expose Reimer to post - season experience , as the Royals were out of playoff contention . 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 . After attending the Maple Leafs training camp ahead of the 2009 – 10 National Hockey League ( NHL ) season , Reimer was again sent down to the AHL . As part of the Marlies ' pre - season , Reimer competed in the Gardiner Cup , held as part of Scotland ' s 2009 Homecoming celebrations . He stopped 33 shots in the final as the Marlies lost 3 – 1 to the Hamilton Bulldogs . 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 . Reimer was called up by the Leafs on an emergency basis on October 13 , 2009 , when starting goaltender Vesa Toskala was injured . Serving as Joey MacDonald ' s backup , he did not receive any playing time in his first NHL call - up ; he was sent back down to the Marlies on October 25 , 2009 . 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 . At the outset of the 2010 – 11 NHL season , Reimer again was assigned to the AHL ' s Marlies . Reimer was not expected to contribute to the Maple Leafs at the NHL level during the 2010 – 11 season . Expectations for the young netminder were low heading into the season , with head coach Ron Wilson saying " We wanted him to play in the minors and continue to get better , develop and try to stay healthy . " 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 - Sebastien Giguere provided an opportunity for Reimer at the NHL level . His strong play caused the Leafs to carry three goalies on their NHL roster , a fact which did not surprise Giguere , who said " The way he played the last time he was up , you knew he was going to get another chance . " Leafs head coach Ron Wilson acknowledged Reimer as the team ' s starting goalie 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 goalie 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 league when he was named the NHL ' s 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 rumors that he was suffering from a concussion . Reimer missed 19 games with the injury , and struggled upon his return , eventually losing the starting position to Gustavsson . After recording two back - to - back shutouts on February 1 and February 4 , Reimer seemed to have claimed the starting position once again . On February 27 , General Manager Brian Burke proclaimed Reimer to be " The real deal . " 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 . After his strong rookie season in the NHL , Reimer received another invitation from Hockey Canada , this time to compete at the 2011 IIHF World Championship . Reimer got his first win in the tournament beating Belarus 4 - 1 . 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 . Reimer tries to focus on the basics of playing goal , feeling that the fundamentals of goaltending are the key to success , saying " It ’ s not about making the great save , or making a diving save or playing outside yourself . It ’ s all about pushing , stopping , and being square and just relying on that . Most of the time if you let out a rebound the defenceman is there so it ’ s more about being solid fundamentally . " Personal . Reimer was born in Arborg , Manitoba , to parents Harold and Marlene Reimer . His father owns a business moving homes . He graduated from Morweena Christian High School in his hometown . His favourite hockey team growing up was the Toronto Maple Leafs , and his favourite player was Ed Belfour . Reimer met his wife , April , at a junior hockey game in Moose Jaw , Saskatchewan . He grew up in a Mennonite community , and regularly attends church .