James Reimer Flashes His Classic Humour With Joke About Epic Maple Leafs Collapse

With Joseph Woll out for the foreseeable future as he continues to tend to a personal family matter, the Toronto Maple Leafs decided to sign netminder James Reimer to a PTO, bringing him back to the franchise that drafted him almost 2 decades ago.

His return has been a breath of fresh air as the 15-year veteran is a lot more open and loose than we last remember from his first stint with Toronto, which, as we recall, didn't really end all that well.

Reimer, of course, is referring to the Leafs blowing a 4-1 lead midway through the third period against the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the quarter-finals in 2013. Patrice Bergeron would then score the OT game-winner sending the Leafs packing in embarrassing fashion.

Reimer received a lot of vitriol from the fan base that also included threats being sent to his wife, April. He wound up sticking in Toronto for another 2+ seasons before being moved to San Jose in 2016.

Since then, Reimer has played for Florida, Carolina, Detroit, Anaheim, Buffalo, and has had 2 stints with San Jose, encompassing 310 games, where he posted a 134-109-42 record with a .906 SV%.

Considering the situation the Leafs are currently in right now and the fact that they never replaced the departing Matt Murray, it seems like there's a good chance for Reimer to reclaim a role in Toronto in some capacity.

The Leafs will lean heavily on Anthony Stolarz while Woll is away from the team, but they could opt for the veteran Reimer to back him up, if they feel like Dennis Hildeby would be better served starting the season in the minors instead.

The 37-year-old will need to impress in training camp to earn a contract from the Leafs, however so far he's ingratiating himself back to the team, fans, and media that he once served front and centre for between 2010 and 2016.