Jerome, A Dual Threat, and Noted Hall of Famer

[jacobcarson877 2,541]

Jerome Reinhart, Class of Season 87

User: @MexicanCow123

 

TPE: 1542

Position: LW/D

Nationality: Greenland

Height: 6'0

Weight: 165 lbs.

VHL Drafted: 3rd Overall, by the Vancouver Wolves

VHLM Drafted: 57th Overall, by the Mississauga Hounds

Played for: Yukon Rush, Vancouver Wolves, New York Americans, Riga Reign, London United

 

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Career Awards

 

Individual

All-VHL First Team (2x) | S85, S82

All-VHL Second Team (2x) | S83, S81

Alexander Valiq Trophy | S85

Daisuke Kanou Trophy | S81

Christian Stolzchweiger Trophy | S79

Scotty Campbell Trophy | S85

 

Team

Founders Cup | S78

Victory Cup (3x) | S82, S81, S80
Continental Cup | S82, S81, S80

 

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Introduction & VHLM

 

It can be easy to overlook a standout performance when paired with a standout team performance. Some players legacies are intrinsically linked with some nostalgic memory of a team era, or particular seasons. Then there are the players that break free from the shackles of their “just another player in the crowd” image and take their talents elsewhere to show they are in fact, that player. Today we (finally) take a moment to recognize one such talent who was brought up in a system of unparalleled dominance, and then escaped to parallel that dominance elsewhere.

 

His name is Jerome Reinhart, and while his story culminated in the VHL, like everyone’s it had to begin in the minor leagues, where he had to showcase his talent before the panel of judges that are VHL GMs, to earn his place in the ranks of their squads.

 

It starts with waivers, where Jerome chose to join the Yukon Rush at the beginning of their season. Many players at the time had mastered the style of game that would be rewarded on the scoresheet, but even on the 118 point Rush, he put up more than 40 goals, and a healthy 86 points. Success was early and often in J. Reinhart’s story, as his VHLM season was his first taste at a championship experience. One way to attract the attention of GMs is to help lead your team to a championship in your rookie season, and as such, the spotlight was on Jerome and several other Reinharts in the VHL Draft.

 

   

Regular Season Stats

78 (YUK), 72 Game Played, 42 Goals, 44 Assists, 86 Points, +47, 295 Shots, 43 PIMs, 118 Hits, 14 SB, 6 GWG, 14 PPG, 1 SHG.  

Playoff Stats

79 (YUK), 17 Games Played, 3 Goals, 10 Assists, 13 Points, +7, 80 Shots, 18 PIMs, 23 Hits, 1SB, 1 GWG, 2PPG.

 

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Greatness in the VHL

 

Vancouver restocked their rookie ranks after realizing a wretched regular season by rounding up a rig of Rush Reinharts. They picked the pair from the prominent pool of prospects populating the potential population of the professional players. Long story short, Tyler and Jerome Reinhart joined a league-worst Vancouver Wolves, who executed a rebuild so effective that it would alter the course of league history. This deadly duo would define the details of a distinct design, which would destroy even the most dominant demonstrations of the decade. Vancouver would provide a blank slate in which the management group could build an exaggerated style of shot-heavy barraging that would go on to be unstoppable for the end of the 70s and first half of the 80s.

 

S79 was a step up from the (purposefully) disastrous S78, in which the team gained a huge scoring influx, but couldn’t keep the puck out of their own net. Jerome would edge out Tyler by a couple of goals, leading to a Stolzchweiger win, to lead off what would only be a better career.

 

S80 was the season where everything clicked into place. In the matter of a season, the Vancouver Wolves had gone from the worst team in the league, to the best, and not by a small margin. Not only were they the only team to cross 300 goals scored, they lead the league by 61 goals! 7 players above 100 points, and another at 94. Even without upgrading their goaltending, this team trampled their way to a legendary finish. Even after a 114 point campaign, with 47 goals to boot, this was only just the beginning, despite Vancouver cruising to their first Continental Cup of this era.

 

The next 2 seasons were a bit of a blur. 2 Victory Cups, 120 goals from Jerome, consecutive seasons with 130+ points. Dominance that we may never see again. Jerome and Vancouver took goalscoring to a level that the game couldn’t figure out how to handle. And the speed and systemic cohesion the team developed was unable to be paralleled by even the most dedicated copycats. Everyone wanted to replicate what Jerome Reinhart was doing, and no one could even come close, at least not with that consistency. It looked as though Vancouver, lead by Jerome Reinhart, would defeat the game of hockey entirely, and create an unbeatable set of team records.

 

That was until everything changed.

'Cause all I know is we said, "Hello"
And your eyes look like comin' home
All I know is a simple name
And everything has changed
All I know is you held the door
You'll be mine and I'll be yours
All I know since yesterday
Is everything has changed

-       Taylor Swift on Jerome Reinhart and the Hybrid Attributes System


When the competition becomes unbalanced to the point of not being competitive, it is the onus of the governing body to remedy the situation by introducing new regulations. As such, the dream of the Vancouver Wolves eternal dominance was crushed. Jerome waived his no-trade clause and was moved to New York, ready to turn his image from cog in the Wolves wheel, to independent man who don’t need no Wolves. While everyone was trying to figure out how to adjust to this new era in the VHL, Jerome was taking on 2 changes at once. Having played a winger for the entirety of his career so far, he decided to turn the tables and become a defender. He was joined by his partner Tyler Reinhart, and while Tyler struggled to replicate the glory of the past, Jerome lead the team in points, despite a below-expectations finish.

 

With Tyler Reinhart’s momentum fizzling out, and New York tumbling down the standings, Jerom Reinhart needed to find a new groove in S84. At the deadline his talents were taken to Riga, where here performed at roughly the rate we had come to expect in his career. Despite a short run, this was Jerome’s first non-Wolves playoff appearance, and it felt wrong to have missed his performance in S83. He began to really lean into this playmaking role, and establish himself as one of the leading passers in the game.

In his final seasons, he took his talents to London. Forging a strong relationship with their management group, it just made sense to tag along and try to propel what had always been a middle of the pack franchise into the playoffs. With depreciation hitting and the clock ticking Jerome Reinhart did what no one would expect. He went on to put up a 99-point campaign as a defender, a feat that earned him the Valiq and Campbell Trophies. Even in his final season, he managed to pull off a near point per game performance, and secured the United consecutive playoff appearances.

 

Regular Season Stats

79 (VAN), 35 Goals, 38 Assists, 73 Points, +18, 288 Shots, 47PIMs, 90 Hits, 15SB, 4GWG, 11PPG.

80 (VAN), 47 Goals, 67 Assists, 114 Points, +76, 486 Shots, 44PIMs, 161 Hits, 39SB, 8GWG, 8PPG.

  81 (VAN), 61 Goals, 70 Assists, 131 Points, +62, 711 Shots, 48PIMs, 147 Hits, 39SB, 7GWG, 11PPG.

82 (VAN), 59 Goals, 82 Assists, 141 Points, +51, 713 Shots, 22PIMs, 46 Hits, 33SB, 7GWG, 18PPG.

83 (NYA), 35 Goals, 69 Assists, 104 Points, -15, 448 Shots, 90PIMs, 138 Hits, 245SB, 4GWG, 12PPG.

84 (NYA/RIG), 19 Goals, 38 Assists, 57 Points, -31, 393Shots, 56PIMs, 88 Hits, 171SB, 5GWG, 8PPG.

85 (LDN), 24 Goals, 75 Assists, 99 Points, +13, 386 Shots, 101PIMs, 122 Hits, 160SB, 3GWG, 14PPG.

86 (LDN), 12 Goals, 53 Assists, 65 Points, -4, 292 Shots, 79PIMs, 127 Hits, 164SB, 3GWG, 8PPG.

Playoff Stats

80 (VAN), 4 Goals, 11 Assists, 15 Points, +8, 108 Shots, 17PIMs, 28 Hits, 8SB, 2PPG.

81 (VAN), 28 Goals, 24 Assists, 52 Points, +16, 184 Shots, 4PIMs, 13 Hits, 14SB, 3GWG, 8PPG.

82 (VAN), 7 Goals, 22 Assists, 29 Points, +13, 140 Shots, 2PIMs, 9 Hits, 9SB, 1GWG.

84 (RIG), 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 5 Points, -2, 24 Shots, 6PIMs, 12 Hits, 10SB, 1GWG, 1PPG.

85 (LDN), 0 Goals, 3 Assists, 3 Points, -2, 23 Shots, 8PIMs, 8 Hits, 9SB.

86 (LDN), 0 Goals, 2 Assists, 2 Points, -1, 9 Shots, 8PIMs, 4 Hits, 10SB.

 

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Legacy

 

Jerome Reinhart is one of the few players who got to be a Hall of Fame player calibre player at 2 different positions. Dominating the descent into the Hybrid Era as a scoring dynamo, and emerging into one of the league’s premier playmaking defenders after the regulation changes, he proved to be a dynamic and multi-talented player, who was able to propel his teams into the playoffs, and win at a prolific rate. While he inspired and found chemistry with teammates along the way, he notably found a way to prove his individual value, even at the twilight of his career. Some may remember him for his Vancouver Wolves days, others for his legendary S85 run, but I think it is important to take both into consideration, as he was a player of two lives, and won them both. 

Congratulations Cow!

(Sorry for taking so long!)

 

Regular Season Career Record

292 Goals, 492 Assists, 784 Points, +170, 3717 Shots, 487 PIMs, 919 Hits, 866 SB, 41GWG, 90 PPG.

 

Playoff Career Record

41 Goals, 65 Assists, 106 Points, +32, 488 Shots, 45 PIMs, 74 Hits, 60SB, 5GWG, 11PPG.