Captain Consistent - Verner Reinholdt [1/2]

[Devise 4,475]

Season 57 didn't get off to the greatest of starts for the Toronto Legion. It was a rough opening schedule no doubts, as the team faced up and coming coming rival Calgary Wranglers 8 times in the first 11 games. The schedule makers were obviously on some sort of drugs when they decided to come up with that, but none the less the Legion didn't really feel like a settled team early on in the season. The teams greatest strength early on was the play of Torstein Ironside in net, and the Legion remained just outside of a playoff spot as it was too much of win a few lose a few. 

 

One of the key elements that was holding the Legion down during the earlier rough stages of the season, was the lack of consistent offense. Especially as it related to top line players. You can look no further than the Captain of the Toronto Legion Verner Reinholdt, who while didn't struggle out of the gate, he was certainly quieter than the Legion would of liked to open the season. As we hit the midway point of the season however, there is no doubt that the play of the top line, anchored by the now extreme consistency of Reinholdt, is a big reason why the Legion sit higher in the standings. 

 

Just how impressive has Reinholdt been lately? Well let's take a look at the stats to see further. It would be hard to ignore the obvious stat, a league leading point scoring streak that remains active. Reinholdt currently has scored at least a single point in the last 23 games the Legion have played. The Legion have obviously benefited from the consistency, as the team has a 17-1-5 record during the Reinholdt point streak. That is only a single regulation loss in that span. And while some of it is due to facing some weaker opposition, the Legion played another conference rival Seattle several times in that span, and not giving up a single loss to them in regulation. In fact the only team to give Toronto a regulation loss in that span was the league leading Riga Reign, who have been so dominant they have already secured a playoff spot. Included is also a couple wins against Quebec. Reinholdt himself has also been impressive during the point streak amassing 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points. 

 

It's a stark contrast to how the Legion started the season too. More importantly, how Reinholdt started it. While he had offense on the board, he wasn't nearly as consistent as he needed to be, or as explosive. During the first 22 games of the season, before he went on the point streak tear he is on now, Reinholdt only had 7 goals and 12 assists for 19 points. Under a point per game. More so, half the goal totals he has put up in basically the same amount of games. And while the Legion may not of been flat out struggling, their 11-7-4 record during the first 22 games is about as close to .500 as it gets. We talked with the Legion  head coach Travis Boychuk to discuss just how much of a difference Reinholdt has been for the team during this point streak. 

 

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Yeah wow did he ever really start to get it going eh? He was struggling to find his rhythm early in the season, but he has been the picture of consistency lately. The coaching staff had a talk with him about it too, we talked about how the most important thing for him and his game was to be giving us offense every night. As long as he's out there giving us a chance to win games, we are going to be able to do that. That is what you need from top line players. They don't have to light the world on fire every night, but they have to do their jobs, get on the scoresheet, create chances. Last 23 games for sure he's been pretty much "Captain Consistent" for us. I'd love to see this point streak keep going.  

 

Fellow teammate Dexter Lane spoke with media a bit about just the chip he now see's on the shoulder of Verner. 

 

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Yeah Old Vern, the old guy yeah we love him. He's been on a tear for us, that is a lot of games in a row with points. What I have really been impressed with is his shot, and his goal scoring. I feel like last season and primarily people think of Vern as a playmaker. We always told him on the bench, shoot more, score more, show them your a threat and those passing lanes will open up. What do I know though I'm a blood and guts guy. But it was I don't recall what game but we had a game in Seattle during this point streak he's on, he had a hat trick. It was a conference rival, we were coming in a little pissed off with where we were in the standings, we wanted to start pushing up, and I felt like his attitude carried that. He's not a very talkative guy, he kind of leads with a few words of wisdom and encouragement. But he also likes to lead on the ice. During that game I felt like he kind of put a chip on his shoulder and starting to say, "yeah I'm here every night defense, every night your dealing with this top line." We've been playing some confident hockey sense, and I think he's a big part of that. 

 

One teammate who loves it when Reinholdt is playing good, is resident sniper and budding superstar Bo Boeser. Boeser is a linemate of Reinholdts, and the two have sort of formed a "dynamic-duo" that keeps them playing together most of the time. Boeser currently leads the Legion in goalscoring with 33 goals, which is good for fourth best in the entire league. Reinholdt has assisted on 19 of those 33 goals, or about 57%. 12 of those have come during the 23 game point streak. But it isn't a one sided duo by any means, as Boeser has assisted on 14 of the 22 goals Verner has scored, good for about 63%. 9 of those 14 have come during the 23 game point streak. So it's been clear that this dynamic duo has been on fire of late. Boeser as asked about his budding chemistry with Reinholdt, and had the following to say. 

 

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It's been great lately honestly. Whole team has been great but I feel like we've really hit a nice peak with our chemistry the last several games. A big difference has been I think we both have been a bit more unpredictable, y'know? It was always shoot first by me, pass first by him. I think now we've found a bit of a groove where we have defenders guessing, wondering what moves we might do, who is going to shoot are we going to maybe stop and cycle and look for a one timer or even now Vern has shown he may just take it to the net himself and deke right? Defenders spend more time guessing which gives us more opportunities to put the biscuit in the gravy as they say. 

 

Verner himself has been relatively quiet this season. Literally. While he hasn't been full on Sting circa WCW 1995, you know that time when he was a plain mute and would just stare in the rafters like an emo? Yeah I don't know either, apparently the movie The Crow was hot and WCW was fresh out of ideas. Anyway, Verner hasn't been hiding in the rafters before games, but his presence with media has been limited to the point of non existent. Verner has never been a big media player, but considering his recent success you'd figure the team would allow Verner to speak more, or that Verner himself may want too. But he did make himself available for questioning after a recent practice, and ultimately had the following to say. 

 

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It's been good lately, ice has been good, my vision has been good. I feel healthy and strong and despite my age I think I may be in what I would call my prime. A lot of my struggles up to this point, and I think struggles is harsh word to some but I put a big bar on myself. A lot of it was mental. I was battling myself to make sure it wasn't my age, to make sure I was ready to step in and be a top line player. To make a difference every night. Well I feel like I've had the chance to work through a lot of those demons. The reason for my even more quiet than usual nature was simple. I had a lot of pressure this off-season. You know there is a lot of pride and responsibility that comes with the C on your chest. A lot of media and fans don't always get that. I had my C questioned in the off-season, and it was a rough off-season. I had to reflect and ultimately I realized there was something to the criticism. Sure we have been improving as a team, but if big steps are to be made, then it has to start with leadership and that is me. I've been focused on my game this season, and every night is another night where I feel like I need to prove myself out there. So that is what I'm aiming to do. Sometimes it's not always fun, but the price for complacency is inconsistency, and I think for me some of it was being wrapped up in just how awesome it is to be here. I'm glad to play in the VHL, to have a chance at glory, something I gave up when I didn't go play in the NHL. I want to be a VHL name people remember, and to do that, these point streaks have to become the standard, the staple, the run of the mill things that you get from me every season. But as a friend of mine VHL Hall of Famer Ryan Sullivan once told me. Consistency starts and ends with a single shift. That is all you have to commit too. Once you do it becomes every period, then every game, before you know it's every week, every month, every season. Eventually people realize that your a gamer, and when your on the ice there is no breaks. So I've kind of made that my montra here this season. 

 

 

Clearly the rejuvenated play of the top line, and Verner Reinholdt has been an asset for the surging Toronto Legion. With only a single regulation loss in the last 23 games, the Legion have climbed from outside a tight North American conference to sitting second in the division. Second by only a point at that, with a game in hand over the first place Quebec City Meute. There was a moment early in the season where a lot of VHL analysts were calling the Legion out of the race. They were struggling to find consistency, and after going .500 in an early start with the Wranglers, it looked as if they maybe only made on step forward when a few others made several steps back. Since a big trade for defender Guntis Petenis, the now fully stocked deep roster of the Legion has really started to roll. The depth, solid goaltending, combined with the increased offensive presence of the top line has the Legion poised to try to make a statement in Season 57. The question that remains to be answered of course, is will they. However there is nothing more fitting than seeing a team that struggles out of the gates to find consistency, led by a Captain who himself is struggling to find that same thing. Then to see that narrative thread reverse, and have that team become the picture of consistency led by the struggling captain, now the definition of consistency with a 23 game point streak. I'd say the coaches assessment is pretty spot on. "Captain Consistency" it is. 

 

*Words: 2040* *For: Verner Reinholdt*

*Using for the PT weeks of (Oct 30- Nov 5, Nov 6-12, Nov 13-19, Nov 20-26)

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Fuck yeah! It's been a wild ride lately.

[boubabi 4,725]

consistent SCRUB

amirite

[hedgehog337 3,480]

REVIEW:

 

How many times I said about Petenis? 

 

Anyway, an old man Verner? Imagine the S54 Verner old being in S57. 

But he indeed had a good season and he's gonna benefit a lot in this season from playing in a first line with Snatch. TOR first line looks dangerous at this point and I'm finding a lot of similarities with Riga's first line. Snatch vs Shankly; Verner vs Rusty; Muller vs Boeser. Gonna be interesting to see this matchup. 

 

And you had a longer streak than Krīgars 

 

@Devise