Reenergized Bowness, 70, leads Blue Jackets to win in debut

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rick Bowness was enjoying time on his boat in Florida when he received a call from Don Waddell on Monday afternoon.

Bowness thought the call from the Columbus Blue Jackets president of hockey operations and general manager was about a player Bowness once coached. It turned out to be something else — a head coaching offer.

Bowness was on the ice at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday morning, conducting practice after accepting Waddell’s offer to take over as head coach. Bowness didn’t have much time to get acquainted with his new team, but he produced results anyway, as the Blue Jackets outlasted the Calgary Flames 5-3 on Tuesday night.

“The coach’s job is to give them the structure and the details. Their job is to come in and compete. And my eyes told me tonight we competed very hard,” Bowness said after the win. “Now are there areas that we have to improve? Absolutely. But if you don’t improve those areas until you get to compete, so that’s what I was happy with.”

This move marks Bowness’ return behind an NHL bench. He had retired in the spring of 2024, ending a two-year stint with the Winnipeg Jets. On Tuesday, Bowness explained that he stepped down because of health issues he and his wife, Judy, were experiencing.

The 70-year-old hockey lifer has coached both iterations of the Jets, as well as Boston, Ottawa, the New York Islanders, Phoenix and Dallas. He took over the Stars during the 2019-20 season and led them to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2020 pandemic bubble.

Even though Bowness becomes the league’s oldest head coach and turns 71 on Jan. 25, he says he is ready and rested for another opportunity.

“I feel a whole lot better. Judy’s doing great, and so that opened the door again,” Bowness said before the win. “I did want to coach again.”

Bowness replaced Dean Evason, who was in his second year and became the first NHL coach fired this season. Assistant coach Steve McCarthy was also fired.

Entering Tuesday, Columbus was last in the East with a 19-19-7 record, seven points out of a playoff spot with 12 games until the Olympic break. But perhaps a corner was turned in Tuesday’s victory. Boone Jenner and Charlie Coyle each scored in the final two minutes as Columbus won its second straight game.

Last season, the Blue Jackets were the feel-good story, coming within two points of the final playoff spot after the death of star forward Johnny Gaudreau in August 2024. During that emotional year, Evason was a Coach of the Year candidate as he guided the team to a 23-point improvement.

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“For us, a bit of a shock, a wake-up call that we can use and hopefully use in the right way,” Jenner, the team captain, said before the game.

Bowness is the 14th coach in Columbus’ 25 seasons. He will try to get the Blue Jackets into the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20.

Waddell cited blowing a three-goal lead in a 5-4 overtime loss to Pittsburgh on Jan. 4 and a subsequent 1-3 trip as reasons why he felt a change was needed.

“I have all the respect in the world for Dean and Steve. I think last year they did a tremendous job in very difficult situations, but again, I think our expectations this year were higher than what we’re achieving right now,” Waddell said in a Tuesday news conference. “I talked to some of the younger players and some of the leaders. They weren’t, by any means, bashing the coach, but I could tell they were frustrated with how things were going. So it all came to a point over the weekend.”

Besides eliminating poor third periods, Bowness cited other defensive factors, including limiting odd-man rushes and shooting chances in the slot. Columbus also has the fourth-worst penalty-killing unit in the league.

“You don’t score your way into the playoffs. This isn’t the ’80s, man,” he said. “I’m going to say whatever has to be done. I’m not a 30-year-old coach worrying about my career. I’m at the end of my career. Anybody who’s worried about next year is taking the wrong approach on this whole thing.”

Sean Monahan, who played for Bowness in Winnipeg in 2023-24, said he was surprised by the move but that Bowness can bring structure to the team while being heavy on details.

“He can be hard on guys. He’s vocal. He’s fun to play for because he’s motivated to be out there to coach to get the two points every night, and I think he’s been through it all,” Monahan said. “He’s done it a long time, and he’s had a lot of success at it. So, you’ve got a lot of respect for a guy like that.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.