Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness announces retirement

Rick Bowness has retired from coaching in the NHL after 38 seasons.

The Winnipeg Jets head coach led the team to a 98-57-9 record during his two seasons as head coach en route to a pair of Stanley Cup playoff appearances.

Bowness never won a Cup, but told reporters Monday that winning the ultimate prize in the NHL was no longer his sole motivation.

"It's always been important. But over the years as you age, you hope you have an impact on your players' lives, off the ice, on the ice," Bowness told reporters during a final news conference at Canada Life Centre on Monday.

Bowness welled up as he said hockey and all the people he has met over the decades as an NHL coach has meant everything to him.

The 69-year-old native of Moncton, N.B., coached for eight different franchises and was behind the bench for 17 playoff appearances, including trips to the finals as an associate coach with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011, as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015, and as Dallas Stars head coach in 2020.

He is one of only three head coaches (along with Scotty Bowman and Pat Quinn) to serve behind the bench in five different decades.

His 2,726 games as an NHL head coach or assistant coach are the most by anyone in league history.

Bowness  is also a finalist for this season's Jack Adams Award, which honours "the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success."

Under his leadership, the Jets set franchise records this season for road wins (25), winning streak (eight games, twice), and points streak (14 game).

The team also set a franchise record by going 35 consecutive games allowing three goals or fewer. During that stretch, they also set a club record with a 14-game run without allowing more than two goals.

Their 52 wins matched the franchise record set in 2017-18.

Bowness is also credited for changing a team dynamic some observers described as dysfunctional prior to his return to Winnipeg.

"You talk about someone who left it better than when they came in, Rick embodies that," said Jets captain Adam Lowry.

Bowness originally signed a two-year contract with the team in July 2022. A third year was a club option.

Yet his regular-season success in Winnipeg did not translate into the playoffs. His Jets were defeated in the first round in 2023 by a heavily favoured Vegas Golden Knights team and then again last week by the Colorado Avalanche.

The Jets won the season series against the Avalanche and finished higher in the regular season standings.

At last week's season-ending meeting with reporters, he was asked about his intentions for the 2024-25 season and said he had already talked with his family and would be meeting with Jets brass.

"I know what I'm going to do," he said. "I know what I want to do, that'll come out."

Bowness said Monday he knew what he wanted to do within one hour after the Colorado Avalanche eliminated Winnipeg.

"When I was looking around, I wasn't happy with the job I had done and to me, it was time," he said, adding he is sorry he did not take the team further.

Arniel interested in job

Bowness was away from the team twice this season because of a seizure his wife experienced last October and then his own minor medical procedure in March.

 Associate coach Scott Arniel, who filled in for several games this season when Bowness was away for personal reasons, said he has spoken to Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and co-owner Mark Chipman about his interest in the head coaching job.

"They know my intentions, they know what I want and what I'd like. We'll talk more. It really is in a very early stage," Arniel said, deferring further comment out of respect to Bowness.

Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness announces retirement

16 days ago

Duration 2:06

Rick Bowness has retired from coaching in the NHL after 38 seasons. The Winnipeg Jets head coach led the team to a 98-57-9 record during his two seasons as head coach en route to a pair of Stanley Cup Playoffs appearances.