TORONTO — James Reimer will be in the visitors’ crease at Air Canada Centre for the first time on Thursday night.
Reimer draws the start for the Florida Panthers when they face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 28-year-old was drafted by the Leafs in 2006 and played more than 200 games, the longest tenure of any Leafs goalie in the past decade.
"Lot of good memories here and I had a lot of fun," Reimer said after practice in Toronto on Wednesday afternoon. "It’ll be fun to start here and hopefully steal two points."
Inked to a five-year contract worth US$17 million last summer, Reimer dropped his first two outings in a Panthers uniform, but he has won two of his last three starts since. He owns a 2-2-1 mark overall with a .905 save percentage.
Reimer’s Toronto tenure ended last February when he was traded from the Leafs to the San Jose Sharks ahead of the trade deadline. Reimer returned to Toronto for the first time as an opponent on Oct. 27, but didn’t play in the Panthers 3-2 loss. He sat on the bench that night and had flashbacks to his time as a Leaf.
"You’re sitting there and you’re looking around, you remember the times this happened, that happened, this game, that game," Reimer said. "The following here is impressive and they’re die-hard and they love to see the team do well and win and what not. It’s always special when you come back and there’s people who still support you and still root for you."
