Washington Capitals: Scott Arniel rounds out coaching staff

Washington Capitals head coach Todd Reirden tabs Scott Arniel as an assistant. Lets meet the offensive-minded coach and what he brings.

The Washington Capitals filled their coaching roster Monday hiring Scott Arniel as an Assistant Head Coach. He joins Reid Cashman as Todd Reirden’s top lieutenants this season behind the bench.

Unlike Cashman and Reirden, Arniel has previous head coaching experience in the NHL. For a season and a half, he was the top dog with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Hired for the 2010-11 campaign, he failed to make the playoffs. Dismissed halfway through the next year, the Blue Jackets were 45-60-18 under him.

At 55, Arniel is a hockey lifer.

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A left-winger from Kingston, Ontario, Arniel was the first-round pick of the original Winnipeg Jets in 1981. A physical forward, he played 10 years in the NHL. Five with Winnipeg, four with the Buffalo Sabres and his last in Boston for the Bruins.

It was after his NHL days were done that Arniel learned to coach as he played for San Diego and Houston in the defunct International Hockey League. Four years in Houston as a player-coach, the Manitoba Moose scooped him as an assistant.

From there, the Sabres had him on the bench for four years before Arniel returned to Winnipeg to run the Moose in the AHL. He found success there, including a Calder Cup run in 2009. He fell short but won the AHL Coach of the Year honors.

A stint with Vancouver followed his dismissal from the Blue Jackets before a long run as Alain Vigneault’s top assistant with the New York Rangers. After a disappointing season last year, the Rangers cleaned house and fired Arniel.

Arniel brings to Reirden’s staff a wealth of talent and experience. Although Reirden has AHL head coaching experience, it is not as deep as Arniel’s. Cashman, 35, has some coaching experience but never as the top coach.

Another benefit Arniel brings is his offensive experience. Between his time in Junior hockey with Cornwall until his retirement in Houston, he played top-level offense for over 20 years. He is the lone assistant coach who played as a forward. Reirden and Cashman were defensive guru’s in juniors and in the minors.

Reirden can use Arniel as an old bench coach. From juggling lines to puck movement, he is a tremendous ally. Those years with the Rangers will help, you know your divisional rivals well.

With another piece of the Washington Capitals puzzle in place, Scott Arniel is a smart hire with valuable experience. Wonder what he would eat out of the Stanley Cup?