Rick Bowness agreed to a contract Thursday to return as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets next season.
Bowness is getting a one-year extension after leading Columbus to a 21-11-5 record since taking over for Dean Evason on Jan. 12.
The Blue Jackets were in last place in the Eastern Conference when Bowness arrived. They went 18-2-4 in Bowness’ first 24 games and moved into a playoff spot after collecting a point in 12 straight games. But Columbus struggled down the stretch, going 3-9-1 to miss the playoffs for the sixth straight season.
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Bowness gave his players a lot to think about after a 2-1 season-ending loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. He launched into a three-minute rant on the team’s effort and said “losing is not important enough to them. It doesn’t bother them.”
He also said that if he was back, “we’re changing this freaking culture. I’ve been around long enough to know. I’ll find ways. I’ve got enough experience. I’ve dealt with this. I’ve dealt with it before. If we’re back, we’ll straighten it out.”
On Thursday, Bowness admitted his reaction may have been “a little over the top” but didn’t indicate any regrets either.
“Did I push the bar a little bit? Yeah. And I know that, but that’s me,” Bowness told reporters. “I’ve got to live with myself. I’m not going to walk out of here and say, ‘Oh, God. I shouldn’t have done that, I shouldn’t have done this.'”
Bowness and Blue Jackets president of hockey operations and general manager Don Waddell said the comments were not a surprise to the players, since they heard the same thing before he addressed the media.
“Rick speaks from his heart. It was very passionate what he said and he cares, and from a general manager standpoint, that’s what he asked for,” Waddell said. “Since Rick’s been here, I knew that he was all-in on this. I give players the opportunity [to discuss the comments], and to a man I heard only positive things, so I’m good with everything that’s happened.”
Bowness is expected to be the NHL’s oldest coach at 71 when next season begins. He has a 331-419-48-42 record in stints with the Blue Jackets, Winnipeg Jets (twice), Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins.
Columbus went 40-30-12, the first time it has posted 40 wins in two straight seasons since 2018-19. The 92 points this season are the fifth-highest total in club history but the first time the team had at least 90 points and didn’t make the playoffs.
The Blue Jackets have Zach Werenski, who led the team with 81 points and is among the favorites for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.
Center Charlie Coyle, left winger Mason Marchment and captain Boone Jenner will be unrestricted free agents. Adam Fantilli, the third pick in the 2023 draft, is a restricted free agent in line for a lucrative extension.
Bowness took the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2019-20 season, when they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and to the first round in 2022. He led the Jets to the playoffs in his two seasons there before retiring in May 2024.
Information from ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski and The Associated Press was used in this report.
