Bowness retires from NHL after 40 years of coaching

Rick Bowness retired from the NHL on Monday after 40 years of coaching.

The 69-year-old leaves after guiding the Winnipeg Jets (52-24-6) to a second-place finish in the Central Division, improving by 15 points from last season (95 to 110) and being named a first-time finalist for the Jack Adams Award, given to the NHL coach of the year, with Andrew Brunette (Nashville Predators) and Rick Tocchet (Vancouver Canucks). His final game was a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Canada Life Centre in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round on April 30 that eliminated the Jets from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"As I was standing there and as I was looking around [after Game 5], it dawned on me," Bowness said. "Coaches have always told me, and I'm talking the older coaches -- older than me -- and they've always said, 'You'll know [when] it's time. And when I was looking around ... I wasn't happy with the job I had done. It just hit me then, like, 'It's time.'

" ... I told the coaches an hour later that I'm done, I'm finished, I'm going to retire. They're all looking at me, 'You sure? You want to take some time on this?' But I knew. I knew in my heart it was time."

Bowness also coached the original Jets, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars. His coaching career began as a Jets assistant in 1984-85 after playing 173 NHL games as a forward for the Atlanta Flames, St. Louis Blues and Jets. He went to the Stanley Cup Final as an associate coach with the Canucks in 2011, a Tampa Bay Lightning assistant in 2015 and Stars coach in 2020. His 2,726 games as head coach, associate or assistant are the most in NHL history, and he's one of three coaches (Scotty Bowman and Pat Quinn) to work in five different decades and the last active coach to guide an NHL team in the 1980s.

"Lifetime in hockey, and obviously well respected by all of the coaching peers but also the players he’s had an effect on over their careers, especially the young defensemen in the League," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said Monday. "It’s a who’s-who list of the last 20 years, so great career and feel fortunate to have coached against him and just want him to enjoy his retirement and congratulate him on a great run."

DeBoer replaced Bowness as Dallas coach before last season and led them to the Western Conference Final. This season, the Stars have advanced to the second round against the Colorado Avalanche after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round on Sunday.

"Well, his fingerprints are on it for sure," DeBoer said. "His defensive detail, he kind of ingrained that in this group’s DNA, and we’ve definitely been the beneficiary of that."

In 802 NHL games as a head coach, Bowness is 309-408-37 with 48 ties.

Bowness would be the first coach in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history to win the Jack Adams Award. He missed four games from March 19-24 because of a minor medical procedure, and 11 while he was away from Oct. 23-Nov. 22 after his wife, Judy, suffered a seizure Oct. 22. The Jets' 52 wins tied a franchise record set in 2017-18, and their 110 points were second-most. Goalies Connor Hellebuyck, a Vezina Trophy finalist, and Laurent Brossoit won the William M. Jennings trophy for allowing an NHL-low 199 goals, including the shootout.

Bowness returned to Winnipeg, replacing current Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice, for the 2022-23 season after coaching the Stars the previous three. He was 8-17 with three ties in 28 games of his first coaching tenure with the original Jets in 1998-89, seven seasons before the franchise relocated to Phoenix.

“That's a guy you want to talk hockey with because he's got a perspective and experience from players, different leagues, assistant coach -- I mean, just everything,” Maurice said. “A lifetime. I'm happy that he has the rare opportunity as a coach to call your shot. He did a marvelous, marvelous job with that team over the last two years. They played exceptional. I hope he's appreciated for the work he did there. I know the people there appreciate him, but he did a really strong job.”

Bowness' retirement leaves the Jets as one of three teams (San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken) without a full-time coach. Drew Bannister (Blues), Jacques Martin (Senators), Jim Hiller (Los Angeles Kings) and Travis Green (New Jersey Devils) are interim coaches.

"Working with him, the career is second to the person that he really is and what he's brought to the game," Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said.

\NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika contributed to this report \