Brian Burke calls out NHL players who refuse to participate in Pride Night.

Pittsburgh Penguins president Brian Burke made it clear that he wasn't happy when San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer decided to sit out the Sharks Pride Night event earlier this month, but apparently he had more to get off his chest.

That's because on Saturday night, Burke made his return to Hockey Night in Canada where he has appeared many times before, and his appearance was specifically designed to chastise the players who have thus far refused to participate in Pride Night events around the National Hockey League.

4 players in particular were mentioned with those being the aforementioned James Reimer as well as Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov, and brothers Eric and Marc Staal of the Florida Panthers, with Burke making it clear that he didn't accept the excuses any of the players had given for their respective decisions.

"With the religious reasons it just doesn't compute for me," said Burke. "I was born and raised a Catholic, I don't see any conflict between my religious beliefs and my ability to say to the LGBTQ+ community 'you're welcome here.'"

It was Burke's comments specifically regarding Russian players that took me aback a little though, with the Penguins executive barely willing to give ground when it comes to the safety concerns some players have regarding their families back in their home country.

"There's no material threat that I can discern," said Burke. "I will side with the players on this one to the extent that if there is a real risk, I don't sense that there is, but to the extent that players perceive a risk then it's legitimate."

For Burke's full comments on this matter, you can check out the segment in the short video below: