Rick Bowness Retires from Winnipeg Jets

The newest version of Winnipeg Jets doesn't fire all that many head coaches. Claude Noel was the first and last coach fired by the Jets. Interim Coach Dave Lowry wasn't fire inasmuch as he was not offered the head coach job was he completed the year where Paul Maurice stepped down. And now Rick Bowness retires after an excellent regular season but shaky play-off run.

This past season for the Jets brought back a level of excitement and achievement. The winning streak, the defensive game, the team effort was all part of a style that Rick Bowness had developed over five decades as a coach.

It is not easy to win Stanley Cups and Bowness didn't win one even with two appearances in the finals. Fans in Winnipeg seemed very mature about defeat compared to the much less happy Toronto fans. The Jets have the misfortune to be in the toughest division in the NHL. All season we see sawed back and forth between the top teams. We just didn't have another gear for the playoffs.

It was disappointing but I, like many others, really enjoyed this season and the new players brought on board and those in the system coming up. Bowness really got a lot out of the team but given his health challenges and that of his wife this year, it likely felt it would be hard to commit to an option year or an extension. He has coached the most games in history of the NHL and is the oldest coach in the NHL. 

The Jets now have a very good team and could attract a very good coach although a few major market teams out are prepared to pay big money for a coach. That doesn't mean Jets will not pay well but it has to be a good match. Even now, teams like Toronto are firing coaches. Jets may find a few coaches out there that are interesting but they also might just keeping Scott Arniel in the job is the way to go.

The Jets are a very loyal team but a coaching decision is a tough one. Rick Bowness created a successful style for the season and a few players added by Chevy made it even better. I suspect the question asked of Arniel will be how to get to the team deep into the playoffs.

Bowness was with the Jets in the 1.0 version as coach and back to Jets in the 2.0 version. Kind of legendary. The Stanley Cup. Arniel was there too as a player and Moose coach. These guys have deep connections to the city of Winnipeg and understand its fans. It will be interesting to see how they honour Bowness next season and who they chose as coach for the new year.