Scott Arniel is off to a historically-hot start as the Winnipeg Jets’ new head coach.
With the Jets improving their record to 8-0-0 with a 5-3 victory Saturday night over the Calgary Flames, Arniel became the first head coach in NHL history to record an eight-game winning streak to start his tenure. It’s quite the accomplishment as there have been 397 head coaches since the NHL was established more than 100 years ago.
The Jets have relied on balanced scoring, much-improved special teams, and great goaltending during their current run, which has them sit at the top of the Central Division and Western Conference. They are the NHL’s only undefeated team and dating back to last season, have won 16-straight regular-season games.
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Arniel, who has connections to the Jets 1.0 as a player and also coached the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose in the mid-aughts, served for the past two season as Jets’ associate coach under Rick Bowness. He was promoted to the top job this past May after Bowness announced his retirement.
The Jets will put their perfect record on the line on Monday, Oct. 28 as they welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs to Canada Life Centre before hitting the road again. The Maple Leafs are 4-4-1 so far and have lost their last three, but have been successful in Winnipeg in recent times, not losing there since November, 2021.
With a win over the Maple Leafs, the Jets would tie the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins for the NHL’s longest regular-season winning streak at 17 games.