Paul Reinhart had such strong family ties in his hometown of Kitchener that he refused to play for any OHA club other than the local Rangers. The Peterborough Petes found this out the hard way, having selected the young defender in the midget draft of 1975. A court case followed while Reinhart was barred from the league for 30 games. Resolution to the issue finally came when a three-way trade was engineered that fulfilled Reinhart's wish.
With the Rangers, Reinhart made very steady progress to the extent that in his final season, he scored 129 points in only 66 games. As such, the Atlanta Flames jumped at the chance to secure the young blueliner in the 1979 Entry Draft.
As a Flame, Reinhart made a leap directly to the pro ranks, quickly establishing himself as a superior two-way defender with versatility to boot. Although he preferred his blueline duties, he sometimes played on a forward line where some have claimed that 100-point seasons were his for the taking.
But nonetheless, as a rearguard he showed plenty of offensive spark, especially setting up goals. He was also a very strong playoff performer, netting 77 points in 83 contests over the course of his eleven-year career.
By 1987-88, however, Reinhart's fortunes began to decline. The Calgary Flames were a team on the rise with the Stanley Cup getting close at hand. But as the team zeroed in on league supremacy, Reinhart's chronic back troubles resurfaced. By season's end, he'd appeared in only 14 games and looked to be at the end of his NHL rope. As a result, the Flames figured they had sufficient defensive depth to trade the aching rearguard to Vancouver.
The following season, the Flames got their Cup while Reinhart surmounted his back troubles to again establish himself as a solid defender for the Canucks. He kept up his performance until 1990 when he finally decided to give his back and his career a permanent rest.
