Paul Reinhart

Reinhart began his junior career with his hometown Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) in 1975–76, scoring 39 points in 53 games. He had been a protected player of the Rangers — signed directly by the team without his having to go through the league\'s draft—but when the OMJHL eliminated the rules allowing teams to protect midget-aged players following the season, he was made eligible for the 1976 draft. The Peterborough Petes claimed him with the third overall selection in the June 1976 draft, despite the fact that Reinhart and his family made it known he would refuse to play for any team other than Kitchener. His agent, Alan Eagleson, threatened to take the team and league to court in a bid to force them to respect Reinhart\'s wishes. The dispute was not settled until November when the Petes traded Reinhart to Kitchener as part of a three-team trade that involved the Oshawa Generals. The league had to rescind a rule prohibiting teams from trading first round draft picks to allow the deal to pass and to avoid the threat of litigation by Eagleson.\n', ' On the ice, Reinhart scored a total of 104 points as a defenceman with the Rangers between 1975 and 1978 before breaking out offensively in the 1978–79 season after moving centre for the majority of the campaign. He scored 51 goals and 78 assists for 129 points in 66 games to finish fifth overall in OMJHL scoring. The team\'s captain in his final year, Reinhart won numerous team honours during his four years in Kitchener including three awards for having the "best defensive ability" on the team.\n', ' The Atlanta Flames selected Reinhart with their first round selection, 12th overall, at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. Though he had been set to join Team Canada for the 1980 Winter Olympics, the Flames convinced Reinhart to sign with the team and begin his professional career instead. Joining the Flames for the 1979–80 NHL season, the 19-year-old Reinhart became the youngest player to appear for the team at that point in franchise history. He appeared in 79 games for Atlanta, finishing as the team\'s highest scoring defenceman. His total of 47 points was second to Ray Bourque for the overall lead amongst rookie defencemen.\n', '