Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness to retire after 38 NHL seasons – Winnipeg Free Press

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness is retiring after 38 seasons in the NHL, a career that included leading the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 and spending more time on the bench than anyone else in league history.

At 69, Bowness is the first-ever finalist for the Jack Adams Award for Coach of the Year after leading the Jets to a franchise-record 52 wins and a second straight postseason appearance, the oldest NHL leader. many seasons on the job. The team announced Bowness' decision Monday, about a week after Colorado was eliminated in the first round.

The Moncton, New Brunswick native has worked 2,726 games as a coach in some capacity, the vast majority of which has been as an assistant since 1984 in multiple roles. He is one of three Scotties Hall of Famers to coach in five decades. Bowman and Pat Quinn.

Bowness and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff are expected to speak with reporters in Winnipeg to discuss Bowness' retirement. It was not immediately clear whether associate coach Scott Arniel, who has played several games this season in Bowness' absence for personal reasons, is being considered as a potential successor.

It happened several times to Bowness, who was a midseason trade for the original Winnipeg Jets, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes and then the Stars in late 2019. He also coached the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators and was a longtime assistant. The Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning have had long playoff runs.