WINNIPEG: Rick Bowness goes back to his roots.
The Winnipeg Jets on Sunday announced the hiring of Bowness as head coach after several days of speculation.
Pierre LeBrun informs TSN Hockey Insider that Bowness has signed a two-year, $ 2.5 million deal.
Bowness signs Winnipeg with two-year contract worth $ 2.5 million per season https://t.co/gMza2b4ulr
– Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 3, 2022
The 67-year-old Bowness, who becomes the team’s eighth head coach in franchise history and the third since the club’s move to Winnipeg, began his coaching career with the Jets, culminating in with 28 games on the bench to close out the 1988-89 season.
The right-hander finished his NHL career with Winnipeg in the 1982 playoffs.
“I am very excited about the opportunity presented to me by Kevin Cheveldayoff, Mark Chipman and the property group to serve as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets,” Bowness said in a statement. “It’s amazing that 40 years after the original Jets gave me my first coaching taste, I’m back in Manitoba to lead this talented group of players in front of such a passionate fan base.”
Bowness spent most of the last three NHL seasons coaching Dallas, leading the Stars to the 2020 Stanley Cup final in the playoff bubble in Edmonton, where the Stars lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Stars lost in overtime in Game 7 against Calgary in the first round of this year’s playoffs.
Although Bowness, originally from Moncton, NB, was not under contract last season, he said he was moving away from the Stars to “allow the organization the opportunity to follow a different direction to the position of head coach. “. The Stars hired Pete DeBoer to replace Bowness last month.
Dave Lowry ended last season as Winnipeg’s interim head coach after current Florida coach Paul Maurice left the post in December.
“We are very excited to hire Rick Bowness as the third head coach of Jets 2.0,” said Cheveldayoff, general manager of Winnipeg. “Rick brings a lot of experience and knowledge, both to the NHL coaching ranks and as a player and coach in the city of Winnipeg. Rick is a fantastic hockey mind and an even better person and we are confident he will lead this equipment at new heights “.
Bowness led the Stars to an 89-62-25 record in 176 games of the regular season. Under Bowness ’lead, Dallas was also 18-16 in the playoffs.
Bowness was selected in the second round (26th overall) in the 1975 NHL Draft by the Atlanta Flames. His NHL career spanned 173 games with Atlanta, the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets where he recorded 55 points (18G, 37A) and 191 penalty minutes. Bowness played 45 games with the Jets in the 1980-81 season and played and coached with the organization for nine seasons until 1988-89.
He spent the 1982-83 season as a player-coach for the Jets AHL affiliate in Sherbrooke and retired after the season to become Winnipeg’s assistant coach. He worked three seasons as an assistant with the Jets before serving as head coach and general manager of his AHL affiliate, the Moncton Hawks, beginning in the 1987-88 season.
Bowness took over as head coach of Winnipeg on February 9, 1989 and led them to an 8-17-3 record.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 3, 2022.