Bowness calls it a career, retires at 69
Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness has announced his retirement after 38 years of coaching in the NHL.
Bowness has only been with the Jets for the past two seasons, but his 2,726 games behind the bench are the most by anyone in NHL history.
The 69-year-old spent time with nine NHL teams as an assistant or head coach over the course of his coaching career, which makes his retiring as a Jet even more special.
40 years ago, in the same city he now calls home, Bowness was offered his first NHL coaching position, an assistant coaching job under Barry Long with the Winnipeg Jets 1.0.
His first head coaching job also came in Winnipeg, when he took over for Dan Maloney in February of 1989 for the remainder of the season.
After lending his expertise to five other NHL clubs as a head coach, Bowness found his way back to the place it all began as a coach, taking over for interim head coach Dave Lowry in July of 2022.
The Jets went 98-57-9 over Bowness’ two-year stint, earning a trip to the postseason both years.
Not only did Bowness start and end his coaching career with the Winnipeg Jets, he also ended his playing career with the organization in 1984.
The Winnipeg Jets were the last NHL team Bowness suited up for. He spent the final two seasons of his career with the Jets’ minor-league affiliate in Sherbrooke, even operating as a player-coach for the 1982-83 season.
“This game has given us a tremendous lifestyle that we never could have dreamed of as kids,” said Bowness in his year-end media availability Thursday. “Never ever ever take a day for granted in this league. And I never have. And I never will.”
When Bowness was announced as the Jets’ head coach on July 3, 2022, it was not an attractive situation to walk into.
The Jets had just missed the playoffs, tensions were high in the dressing room, and the team was playing uninspired hockey.
Bowness’ motto of accountability brought new life to the Jets, which posted a record of 23-13-1 from October-December of 2022.
The team found its way back to the postseason, falling in the first round to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in just five games.
And for the better part of this past season, Bowness and the Jets found themselves vying for not only the top spot in the Central Division, but the entire league.
At the all-star break, the Jets sat atop the Central Division in points, and Bowness earned himself coaching honours for the Central Division’s Team MacKinnon.
After tying the franchise record for wins in a regular season, Bowness and the Jets came back to the playoffs, again falling in five-games to the Colorado Avalanche.
Though the last couple postseason runs have been anti-climactic, Jets fans have been given much to cheer about over the past two seasons under the familiar face atop the bench.
Bowness’ passion for the game is unrivalled. However, even he knows that some things are bigger than hockey.
The veteran coach took a leave of absence in October of 2023 to be with his wife, who had suffered a stroke.
“Well, if you go through life there is always life-changing moments”, said Bowness in an interview in November of 2023, “That was certainly a life-changing moment for us.”
In March of this year, Bowness also went on medical leave for what he said was a “minor medical procedure”.
The game of hockey is faster than it ever has been. It comes with many twists and turns, every change bringing with it a wave of emotions.
Of course, life moves fast as well. And for Rick Bowness, it’s time to slow things down and prioritize what matters most to him at the age of 69: family.
As Bowness’ 38-year coaching career comes to an end in the same place it began, we know that he will always have another family of 15,225 strong down at Canada Life Centre, cheering on their Winnipeg Jets.
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