Bowness built NHL success, longevity on being 'authentic'

Tim Campbell retired in 2022 after writing on the NHL and hockey for 40 seasons, including for NHL.com from 2016-2022.

WINNIPEG -- Rick Bowness the hockey lifer unlocked the key to longevity in the NHL a long time ago.

“I take time to get to know people, the players, then figure out the best way to go around dealing with them,” the 69-year-old from Moncton, New Brunswick, said Monday after he told the Winnipeg Jets that he is retiring from coaching after 40 seasons in the League.

“The bottom line is that they know I care about them as people. The players I coached always knew I cared about them.”

Bowness combined that abundance of empathy with a heart-on-his-sleeve approach to every situation of every day.

On Aug. 18, 2020, a couple of hours before Bowness would coach the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round against the Calgary Flames in the bubble at Rogers Place in Edmonton, arena production staff were checking their in-game scoreboard videos.

A tribute to Dale Hawerchuk, who died earlier that day after a battle with stomach cancer, appeared on the screen while Bowness was collecting his thoughts on the bench in the empty arena.

Seeing the screen sparked deep emotion and the coach wept openly for his former Jets teammate (1981-82), having also coached Hawerchuk during his first NHL coaching stint when he was promoted from his assistant’s role in February 1989 to replace Dan Maloney.

At a press conference Monday, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff praised Bowness for his work of the past two seasons, noting Bowness’s selection as coach for the Central Division at the 2024 Honda (U.S.)/Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game and being named one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year, along with Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks and Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators.

The GM used the word “authentic” to describe Bowness.

It was another of Bowness’s positive effects, having accepted what could politely be called a less-than-desirable assignment when he was hired July 3, 2022.

The Jets (39-32-11, sixth in the Central Division) missed the playoffs in 2021-22 and were plagued with inconsistency, chemistry and culture issues.

Bowness guided them back to the playoffs in 2022-23 (46-33-3, second wild card in the Western Conference) and then to an even better finish this season (52-24-6, second in the Central).

This season, Winnipeg’s 198 goals against were fewest in the NHL (tied with the Florida Panthers) and its 110 points were tied for fourth-best with the Panthers, behind the New York Rangers (114), Dallas Stars (113) and Carolina Hurricanes (111).

Over his 14 seasons as an NHL coach, Bowness was 310-408-37 with 48 ties in 803 games with the original Jets, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and current Jets.

He also was on the staff of the Coyotes, Islanders, Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning, Stars and Canucks at times from 1984-2019.

His first coaching appointment, with the Jets in 1988-89, and his job as coach of the expansion Senators from 1992-96 were among his other difficult positions, but those only enhanced his survival skills.

“Those Ottawa years were tough,” he said. “It was a tough situation in Winnipeg when they fired Dan Maloney. That was a mess. You just come in and do the best you can. Be honest with people and let them know you care. All you can do is the best you can, and I think players respected that.”

When that interaction wasn’t available to him during the lockout that delayed the start of the 2012-13 season, the then-associate coach of the Canucks (his stint there was from 2006-13) was more than out of sorts.

During a round of golf -- another of his passions -- during that shutdown, it wasn’t slow play or scruffy shots that caused his frustrations to boil over, it was being away from hockey.

“I need to be at work,” he bellowed to his playing partner, one of the strangest things ever said on a golf course.

But that’s Bowness, looking for the next road to progress.

“I love the game, respect the game, love the League,” he said Monday. “You just hope you have an impact on the players’ lives.”

It’s pretty obvious that’s been accomplished. Monday, after the announcement that he will retire, the relationships of his past started lighting up his phone.

Sami Salo, the former Canucks defenseman (2002-12), was among the first. Another was former Jets, Bruins and Lightning defenseman Matt Hervey, whom Bowness also coached in Moncton of the American Hockey League, as well as former Red Wings teammate Nick Libett (1977-78).

“Those are the things that will matter to me,” Bowness said. “Honestly, because I’m older, that’ll be more important than awards and trophies. This game brings you life-long friendships.”

When NHL.com was reporting on Bowness’ work with the Stars after he replaced Jim Montgomery midseason in 2019-20, going to the Stanley Cup Final before losing in six games to the Lightning, the depth of positive commentary from around the League was remarkable.

One that still sticks out was from Jets assistant GM Craig Heisinger, once Bowness’ “teammate” but in 2020, a rival.

Heisinger said Bowness thrived over his career because of a consistent ability to make people around him better.

“And people skills,” Heisinger said. “Hard work and people skills, those get you everywhere in the real world. That, and he was never, ever offended by being an assistant coach.”

True to form, Bowness, the hockey lifer, said Monday he’ll be retiring, not disconnecting.

“I’ll be watching. I have a phone. I’m retired, not dead,” he said.