admin
SHOCKING NEWS: Jets Manager fired as coach Rick insist on not retiring
Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness has announced his retirement from coaching after 38 seasons in the NHL.
The Moncton, NB., native led the Jets to a 98-57-9 record during his two seasons at the helm, leading the team to back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Under the 69-year-old’s watch in 2023-24, Winnipeg finished second in both the Central Division and the Western Conference while matching a franchise record with 52 wins before ultimately falling to Colorado in the opening round of the post-season.
Bowness was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, recognizing the top head coach in the NHL.
He served as a coach for eight different franchises and was behind the bench for 17 playoff appearances, including trips to the Stanley Cup Finals as an associate coach with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011, as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015, and as head coach of the Dallas Stars in 2020.
Bowness 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 coach are the most by anyone in league history
Jets head coach Rick Bowness announces retirement after 38 seasons in NHL
Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness has announced his retirement after nearly 40 years in hockey.
Bowness’ first NHL head coaching job was with the original Jets franchise as a mid-season replacement during the 1988-89 season. He has also served as the head coach with the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars plus associate roles with the Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning.
His 2,726 games as a coach are the most by anyone in league history while his 309 wins as a head coach ranks him 54th all-time.
The 69-year-old Bowness guided the Jets to a 52-24-6 record during the regular season, finishing second in the Western Conference with 110 points, but were eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche in five games during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Winnipeg won 7-6 during a wild Game 1 then lost four straight capped with a 6-3 defeat at home in Game 5.
He coached in the All-Star Game for the first time this year serving as the bench boss for Team MacKinnon.
Winnipeg was also eliminated during the first round last year falling in five games to the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Vegas Golden Knights.
Bowness posted a 98-57-9 regular-season record over his two seasons with the Jets.
He had a mutual option on the third year of his contract he signed when he joined the team on July 3, 2022.
