CBJ Coaching Challenge update

Just a quick note on my challenge to CBJ bloggers and media to actually give us some substance to consider about the four candidates to coach the Columbus Blue Jackets over the days ahead...

Activity is starting to pick up.  The Hockey Writers posted a piece with some information on Manitoba's Scott Arniel.  The crux of the article is right here (but go check out the real thing for the videos):

Players who have served time under Arniel have had good things to say about their coach. Jason Krog noted that Arniel was “very innovative with his coaching and the systems we play,” and also said, “He doesn’t limit creativity. I think guys respect that.” Nolan Baumgartner said, “He knows his stuff and his biggest strength is how he can teach the systems that he puts in place.”

Eric Smith of HockeyBuzz has loaned himself out to Fox Sports Ohio and offers this piece on Guy Boucher.  Here's a taste for you:

Boucher is the youngest of the candidates and the most inventive when it comes to his style of play. His 1-3-1 style is very unusual when it comes to the NHL. The way he plays it isn't done at all as he puts a defenseman on the left side of the 3 players instead of the middle. He will take risk so that he can find reward. To put it to you short and sweet, he is the opposite of former head coach Ken Hitchcock.

The only bad thing that you will hear about the red hot coaching prospect other than a lack of experience is that most have said that he is extremely arrogant. As I have never met the man, I can't say if this is over stated or not. Howson will want a very confident coach behind the bench as long as it doesn't cross the line.

And, of course, I have my new Kevin Dineen piece with insight from Chris Roy at Maine Hockey Journal.  I also hear that Matt Wagner at The Cannon is working something up.

I'd still like to see what someone with some history in Milwaukee has to say about Claude Noel's tenure there.  Claude had a helluva run with a Calder Cup to top it off.  Somehow, I think we did not see the entire Noel toolkit at work during his interim head coaching stint.  

I'm posting links to the articles that I find in my Coaching Candidates material, which will remain on the left-hand side of every page on this blog as long as Scott Howson has not announced his pick.