Scott Arniel's record as Jets coach is from those who know him well

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If the Jets decide to give Scott Arniel a second chance as an NHL head coach, Alain Vigneault is sure of one thing.

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“They have no regrets,” the longtime NHL skipper and former Manitoba Moose boss told the Winnipeg Sun on Friday.

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Vigneault and Arniel mingle in the QMJHL, going back to their younger days. The two quickly went from on-ice enemies to teammates and good friends, as Arniel Vigneault moved into Vigneault's role on the Moose after rising to the top gig with the Vancouver Canucks.

A few years later, Vigneault tapped Arniel to be his associate coach with the Rangers — an event that coincided with two of Vigneault's favorite people in the game: Arniel and former Jets head coach Rick Bowness.

Vigneault coached the first four years of the expansion Ottawa Senators under Bowness as an assistant coach.

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“Rick (Vigneault's assistant for seven years in Vancouver) went to Tampa,” Vigneault recalls after being let go by the Canucks. “So my first call was to Scott and he was really good.”

The pair led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first year in 2013-14.

“We've been holding hands there, we've had some really good years,” Vigneault said.

Asking Jets fans if they want to see Arniel as the club's next head coach is like asking Winnipeggers if they want Portage and Maine open to pedestrian traffic.

This is a divisive topic.

On the one hand, the 61-year-old is more adept at what the team has nurtured over the past two seasons under Bowness.

He has been instrumental in transforming this team's defensive play and instilling a culture of inclusivity that has brought this group of players closer together than they have been in years.

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“His relationship with the players, how to deal with them, how to improve them and make them understand the concept of the first team, it's the highest level,” Vigneault said. “He knows everything there. From the owners to the GM. It's hard to find anyone who would tell me otherwise.”

Arniel led the Jets to a 10-5-2 record in two starts with Bowness leaving the club.

“He was very good in that situation,” Vigneault said.

Why rock the boat of a 110-point hockey club any more than it did when Bowness retired?

Arniel, on the other hand, hasn't held a head coaching gig at any level in over a decade.

His one shutout came in Columbus and lasted less than two seasons due to the team's poor play, especially at goaltending, which overshadowed a team with positive possession and expected goal numbers in Arniel's only full season.

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“Every time I would call him or text him, I'd tell him the same thing: 'You can't win with that goalie,'” Vigneault said. “This is the most important position in the game. You must have.

“But he's not the coach in Columbus. He's a much more knowledgeable hockey person with years of experience. Every year you stay in this league, no matter how competitive it is, if you're not always on top of everything in it and you're not always trying to improve yourself, you're not going to stay there.”

Arniel's first job in the NHL booth came in Buffalo, under Lindy Ruff, one of the most respected coaches in the league today.

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“Just a tough guy. A good communicator,” Ruff said last November. “He spent a lot of time in the game. He understands both sides of the game. (He's a) penalty killer, a strong play guy and just a good person.

“Think about it, working with all the staff he's worked with, you can always get something out of anybody you've been around. From all the head coaches to the assistants that you have. He uses all these experiences to improve himself, (and) improve the team.”

Ruff's opinion plays an important role in the game, and Vigneault said it was Arniel who convinced him to hire Ruff as an assistant during his final year in New York.

Ruff coached 1,774 games in the NHL, including 15 years with the Sabers before spending time in Dallas and New Jersey. He was released midseason last year, but he's now back behind the bench for his second go-round with the Sabres.

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Peter Laviolette, who has coached in the NHL for 22 years, is a respected voice in the game, as is Ruff.

Laviolette led the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup banner in 2006, Philadelphia and Nashville to the Finals at other stops, and the New York Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals this season.

Last October, Laviolette described Arniel as “a really good leader.” “It was great working with Scott. It just goes to show that no matter how long you've been in the game, you can always learn from people.

“Arnie used to be a head coach in the NHL, you can tell by his behavior, the way he conducts meetings. He's a really smart guy.

“I got to leave Washington knowing I'm a good coach because I got to spend time with him.”

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