'We know how good we can be': A Q&A with Bones

Rick Bowness has been behind the bench for more games (as either an assistant or head coach) than any coach in NHL history, starting his career as an assistant coach with Winnipeg in 1984. He was named Stars head coach on Dec. 10, 2019 and helped Dallas to the Stanley Cup Final last season before missing the playoffs this year.

Bowness has been a head coach for 557 NHL games, and will be in his 36th NHL season when the 2021-22 campaign starts for Dallas. The 66-year-old bench boss recently took the time to answer a few questions about the Stars.
Q: What have you been doing since the end of the season, and have you talked as a coaching staff about things you can improve?
Bowness: We've had a couple of meetings with the coaching staff on things we know we can do better and we're all watching a series, watching teams, and we're talking about that. We've been watching Colorado and Winnipeg [and St. Louis in the first round] so we can get familiar with the teams in the Central Division we didn't see this year. So, we've put a lot of focus on that. Plus, in watching other teams, if we see a faceoff play or a small detail we could use, we talk about that.
Q: Will there be a greater opportunity to get back to a normal training camp this year?
Bowness:We were happy with our camp in July and felt it was productive despite all of the issues. We're focused on that again. We feel we have a good idea of what we need to do in camp and all of the details we need to address, so we're confident in that. We know we can improve.

Q: What specifically do you think you can improve upon?
Bowness:The specialty teams have to be better. As good as the power play was, we were too inconsistent. We started out great and we rode those numbers for a while, but there were times in the season where we really needed it and it didn't come through. The penalty kill, I just think that has to be better. We're going to put a lot of focus on that in training camp. And then, clearly, 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 we weren't happy with, so we'll spend a lot of time on that, and shootouts, too. All of the things that got in our way this year, we're going to focus on those issues. Analytically, we played really, really well, so it's a matter of us finishing more around the net and it's a matter of tightening up the special teams.
Q: Your power play had great numbers (Dallas ranked fifth at 23.6 percent). What can you do better?
Bowness:We had that great start, and that certainly helped, but that also was when we were healthy that we had two units going and we were a lot more dangerous. So, you put Seggy [Tyler Seguin] out there and Rads [Alexander Radulov] out there, and it really does change things. It allows us to have two balanced units, and that's what we've wanted all along. The good power-play teams in the league have two good units, and when we're healthy, we'll be able to do that.
Q: Would you have John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen on different units at that time?
Bowness:Probably. It worked well early on, and that's just part of the tinkering you do during a season. There could be times when they work well together and there could be times when they work well on different units. We just have to adjust depending on how things are working.

Q: How do you assess the penalty kill (Dallas 19th at 79.1 percent). Was there a reason you didn't meet expectations there?
Bowness:Goaltending is a big part of it and that's an issue. Failing to clear the puck when we had opportunities, that's an issue. Faceoffs, that's something we can be better at. Getting Seggy back will be a big help there. It's a lot of little details, blocking shots, protecting seams a little better. The most important thing is when we had the opportunity to put the puck down 200 feet, we didn't. So, there's a lot that goes into that, but we have to really be better in our details and in taking advantage of opportunities that we create.
Q: You could lose some of your best penalty killers with Blake Comeau and Andrew Cogliano potentially becoming unrestricted free agents. Seattle could take someone like Jason Dickinson in the expansion draft on July 21. Do you think about that right now or do you wait until it shakes out?
Bowness: I'll wait until it shakes out. Who knows what could happen between now and training camp, so you just have to be patient. [Stars general manager] Jim [Nill] has done a great job of putting together the roster, so I trust him and we'll see what happens going forward.
Q: Anybody who stepped up on the penalty kill who could potentially fill in?
Bowness: [Laughs]. I go to Roope [Hintz] again. Despite the injury, despite all he fought through, he became one of our best defensive forwards and one of our best penalty killers when we could use him in that role. So, to get him healthy and see what he can do, I'm excited for that opportunity. He's big and fast, and he's a threat [to go the other way]. That really does get into the head of the other team's power play.

Q: What's your philosophy in overtime? Do you like starting a defensive line against the other team's best offensive players? Was that something you did intentionally?
Bowness:Not really. Our No. 1 goal to start is to win that faceoff. If you win the first faceoff, you control the puck and that allows you to do a lot of things like control when the line change is made for yourself or force a change for the other team. Did we have defensive players out there sometimes? Yes, but it was probably with the intent of winning the faceoff. Had we had Seggy, he probably would've been out there to start a lot of overtimes. When we had injuries to a lot of our best offensive players, we did go with different type players, but it was always with the intention of controlling the puck and creating opportunities. When we go into overtime, we have the mentality of 'we're going for it.' We did that in the playoffs last year and we tried to do that as much as we could this year. That's our philosophy. I know it didn't work out for us this year, but we want to go for it.
Q: How do you interact with players during the summer?
Bowness:We back off right now. If you go back to the bubble and everything we put these players through, and then this whole season, they just need a rest, both physically and mentally. They need a break. They have their conditioning programs, and they know how to take care of themselves. There is frustration there, so I know some guys are already working out. They need some space, but they also know how to train on their own.
Q: How did you feel about the improvements of the younger players?
Bowness:I really liked the steps Roope took, and then both Robo [Jason Robertson] and Jake [Oettinger] were great. We have to get Denis [Gurianov] going again, but I told him that second year is tough. It's the same with Robertson. I told him [at the end-of-the-season talk] to get ready for it. Teams know you better, and it's just tougher to be consistent. But Robo, you can push him hard and he responds, so give him a lot of credit for that. With the other younger players, Ty [Dellandrea] played well, [Riley] Damiani played well. We'll see what they can do.

Q: How has the coaching staff come together since all the changes in 2019?
Bowness:We're a good group. We meet every morning and I seek their opinion. Everyone has a chance to give their opinion, and we have great discussions. I have the final say, but the coaches all have input. It's been a really good group.
Q: You've been an assistant coach for most of your career. How do you like being a head coach now?
Bowness:I love it. It took a while to get used to it. How you use your time is different. As an assistant, coaching the D and the penalty kill, that's easy because that's all you're focused on. As the head coach, you're dealing with the entire staff, all the players. It's a lot more to think about.
Q: How has COVID affected you at your age?
Bowness: It wasn't COVID, but just the entire experience. That was a tough grind going back to the bubble. And then having 44 games in 77 days, that was really hard physically and mentally for the whole staff, everyone. Everyone was exhausted and you could see it in their body language. But I'm running again, I've got my energy up, I'm feeling good.
Q: Were you ever affected by COVID? Did the team face any challenges having to perform in the days after the vaccinations?
Bowness:I never had it despite a false positive test], so I was fine. Some guys had bad reactions to the vaccine, to be honest. In addition to the ones who were sick, you could just tell when a few of them had the vaccine and it affected them. You could see they had to play through it and they weren't feeling 100 percent, it was hard. Different people react differently, and you could see it.
**Q: On paper, you appear to have a team that can contend. How do you feel about the current roster and what you might be able to do next season?**
**Bowness:**I think it's exciting to see what we can be. We said all year just give us one game when we're completely healthy and we really feel like we can compete with anybody. If you have you're `A' lineup with Seggy, Rads and Bish [Ben Bishop], I just wanted to see that on the ice. We know how good we can be. If we get a healthy lineup, we're ready to go for next year.
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This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.