Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness has announced his retirement, according to a press release from the team. Bowness had served as the team’s head coach for each of the past two seasons.
Bowness has had an abundance of success during his brief time with the Jets as he racked up a 98-57-9 record during those two seasons. The Jets qualified for the postseason in each of Bowness’ two campaigns with the team. and the 69-year-old head coach helped lead the franchise to a 52-24-6 record (110 points) this season.
It marked the second-highest regular-season point total in team history, while also finishing with the fourth-best record in the NHL. The Jets also tied a franchise record for wins (52) and set the franchise record for road wins (25).
Bowness was named as a finalist for the 2023-24 Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top head coach last week. He was the first head coach in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history to be named as a finalist.
The 2023-24 campaign was the 14th NHL season in which Bowness served as a head coach and his 36th in the coaching ranks in general. He also served as the head coach of the Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, and Boston Bruins. Before arriving in Winnipeg, Bowness was the Stars head coach for three seasons, and tallied a 89-62-25 record during that time. He led the Stars to a Stanley Cup Final appearance during the 2019-20 season before they were defeated by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Jets were eliminated in the opening round of the 2024 postseason last week when they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in five games.
