Blue Jackets Hire Arniel As Head Coach

By Justin Worsley

The Columbus Blue Jackets introduced Scott Arniel as their new head coach on Tuesday, the seventh coach franchise history.

Arniel spent the past four seasons as the head coach of the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, leading them to a 181-105-10-19 record in that span.

Arniel, however, was not the first candidate for the Blue Jackets coaching vacancy. Guy Boucher, head coach of the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs, was originally offered to position, however, he turned it down. Hamilton defeated Manitoba in six games in a best-of-seven playoff series during this first round of the playoffs this past season.

Arniel inherits one of the youngest teams in the NHL. Goaltender Steve Mason is only 22 and team captain right winger Rick Nash will be 26 by the time the season begins.

Arniel, 47, was drafted in the second-round of the 1981 NHL by the Winnipeg Jets, now known as the Phoenix Coyotes. He scored 149 goals and 189 assists during an 12-year career with three different clubs. Arniel has also played in the AHL, the International Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and both Ontario and Quebec's Men's Junior Hockey Leagues.

Arniel replaces interim coach Claude Noel this season. Noel stepped in after the Blue Jackets fired Ken Hitchcock during last season, when the team went 32-35-15. In the 2008-09 season, Columbus had the most successful season in franchise history, going 41-31-10 and making the playoffs for the first time.

Noel was 10-8-6 as an interim coach last season.