Unsung Hero: Joel Jarvi's Magical S53

[CowboyinAmerica 2,715]

The Story of the Only 100 Assist Season in 30+ Years

 

It’s been said that in recent years, scoring has been down across the VHL. It’s incremental, but you can see the damage if you try. Look, for instance, at the top single-season assist totals in VHL history. Just eight times have players topped 100 assists, a ludicrous number that comes out to almost 1.4 assists per game. Three of those times came in the league’s first seven seasons; seven of those times came S31 or before.

 

And then, every once in a while, a hero comes along. He’s not a Hall of Famer—in fact, he won trophies in just one VHL season after his rookie year. This is the story of Joel Jarvi: the man who had 100 assists in S53.

 

The original defenseman from Cologne GM @gregreg Greg Harbinson, Jarvi was his swan song before going into VHL retirement. All started off well for Jarvi—he win a Founder’s Cup with Ottawa in S46, followed by the Top Rookie award with the now defunct Cologne Express in S47. That year, he had 52 assists and 67 total points, showing that the penchant for being a playmaker was there. The next season was roughly the same, but then Jarvi moved to center increased his goal scoring—31 goals in S49 and 39 goals in S51 showed that he was rounding out his game.

 

There was one problem though: Cologne was good, but never quite good enough. Harbinson completed the team’s rebuild in Season 48, Jarvi’s second season, and started a run of six straight playoff appearances. There was no European power during that time quite like Toronto’s run of four straight finals in North America, but even so, Cologne couldn’t find a way to consistently take that last step. In those six seasons, every European team made the finals at least once, with Cologne only getting one finals bid. That came in Season 49, where they ran into the second of Toronto’s threepeat and fell easily in five games.

 

By the time Season 52 came around, the writing was on the wall – not only for Cologne, but for Jarvi. Though the team remained with enough talent to be in playoff contention, the rebuild was imminent, and Jarvi was beginning his slide into depreciation. Harbinson traded his own player for a chance at glory – and was stymied once again. Jarvi had his own personal best season with 60 assists and 107 points, but Seattle was knocked out in the conference finals to the upstart Americans.

 

Where do you go if you’ve been crushed once again? Once a promising Rookie of the Year, Jarvi was still putting up solid numbers, but overall had stagnated. He hadn’t won a cup, hadn’t won any more awards, and it was looking like S53 would be his final season. He needed a way to go out in a blaze of glory.

 

First Jarvi was traded along with a first to Riga for Pietro Maximoff – Jarvi a bit part in a larger deal. Then, Harbinson traded Riga for his own player, sending off a low TPE goalie and a second round pick. This would be his blaze of glory. Cologne might not be able to get a title, but it would get Jarvi some points.

 

And points Jarvi did get. To say he got out to a rocket start would be an understatement. In Cologne’s first 53 games, Jarvi got 141 points. That was a pace of more than 2.5 points per game; in the previous 15 seasons, only Max Molholt’s 145 points in Season 49 topped Jarvi over the entire season. There was talk of Jarvi getting close to Scotty Campbell’s “unbreakable” record of 190 points in a season. People like Devise began to be on Jarvi Watch.

 

And it all put Harbinson in a tough position: Go for the record, or do Cologne’s rebuild properly? The best thing for the team would be to cash in on Jarvi, shipping him off for picks. That would also give Jarvi one last chance at a title. But on the flip side… it’s not every day you get a chance at history.

 

In the end, though, Harbinson decided to go for the team over records. Cologne sent Jarvi off to New York in exchange for center Sir William Covington III. Then, Cologne was able to flip Covington to Helsinki for a second round pick. It was the best of the situation – in New York, Jarvi would be with an established contender with a chance at one last finals. Only thing, it would come at the expense of his points.

 

After the trade, Jarvi’s production dropped as yet another piece in the New York machine. He finished with 21 points over his final 19 games – still a point per game average, but not at the insane levels he put up in Cologne. Still, it was good enough for 162 total points – and crucially, exactly 100 assists on the season. It was the most assists anybody has put up since Ryan Sullivan had 101 in Season 31. It was the most points in 30+ seasons until it would be topped by Podrick Cast’s 174 in S62.

 

And in the end, Jarvi had a happy story. Having never won a title since the VHLM, he went to a stacked New York team that did end up winning the whole thing. In the playoffs, Jarvi shined – 18 points in 19 games, with 7 goals, 11 assists and a +3 rating. It took until Game 7 for New York to beat the now-defunct Stockholm Vikings, but finally, Jarvi had his glory.

 

Overall, Jarvi wasn’t a particularly beloved player, even by Harbinson himself. That offseason, he would retire him with a succinct “Bye Jarvi you loser.” But for one season, there was magic. It was a trick of STHS that allowed Jarvi to somehow transform into the single best offensive player in 30 seasons, that allowed him to win awards for Most Points, Most Assists, and Most Outstanding Player in the final season of his career. Jarvi may not be a Hall of Famer, but future players may be confused when they look at the record books. But for Season 53, he was the ultimate unsung hero.

[CowboyinAmerica 2,715]

1000+ words, for weeks ending 12/22 and 12/29

[CowboyinAmerica 2,715]

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[Corco 1,124]

Shouldn’t have traded himself. As we all know, I’m an expert on trades.

Edited December 19, 2019 by Corco