The Columbus Blue Jackets are on pace to miss the playoffs for a sixth straight season. This led to the front office making a change. The Blue Jackets fired Dean Evason and hired Rick Bowness to be the head coach. It was a slight surprise, as the comments Bowness made when he retired did not point toward returning as a head coach.
“As I was standing there and looking around, it dawned on me. Coaches have always told me, I’ve talked to the older coaches, older than me, they’ve always said you’ll know when it’s time. When I was looking around and wasn’t happy with the job I had done, it hit me. It’s time,” Bowness said at his retirement press conference, according to Ryan S. Clark of ESPN.
Bowness had been a coach for a long time. He started as the head coach of the Sherbrooke Jets, the old Winnipeg Jets' AHL affiliate. Bowness was a player-coach that season. He then moved to the NHL level for the next campaign as an assistant with the Jets in 1984-1985. When the Jets fired Dan Maloney mid-season in 1988-1989, Bowness got his first chance to be an NHL head coach. After the team missed the playoffs, he moved on to the Boston Bruins, initially in an AHL capacity.
Bowness would spend time as an NHL head coach with the Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars, and the new Winnipeg Jets. In that time, he coached 803 games, going 310-408-48-37. He also made the playoffs five times, including losing in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final with the Stars. He led the Jets to the playoffs in both of his two seasons in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. Still, they lost in the first round both times and retired after.
“I knew in my heart it was time,” Bowness said about his career and retirement at the time. “It goes back and [my wife] Judy and I talked about this after Tampa. I had a couple of offers for three- and four-year contracts with other teams. I went to Dallas on a one-year deal. I love [Stars GM] Jimmy Nill, trust Jimmy Nill … and loved our time in Dallas and so we kept going. There comes a time, and right now seems to be the time.”
Apparently, the time was not permanently right, as Bowness will return to the bench. He has a big job ahead of him in turning around Columbus. The Blue Jackets are 19-19-7 on the year, which places them last in the Metropolitan Division and tied for last in the Eastern Conference. The team is also seven points out of a playoff spot. Bowness will make his debut with the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, as they host the Calgary Flames.
