Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness has announced his retirement

Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness announced his retirement on Monday after spending the last two seasons with the team.

His decision followed the team's first-round exit against the Colorado Avalanche and Bowness was named a finalist for the 2023-24 Jack Adams Award.

The Jets posted a 98-57-9 record over the last two seasons with Bowness as head coach. He oversaw a 15-point improvement this year as the team finished second in the Central Division with a 52-24-6 record.

Bowness was behind the bench for a record 2,726 NHL games as a head coach or assistant coach. He joins Hall of Fame coaches Pat Quinn and Scotty Bowe as the only coaches with careers spanning five decades.

The 69-year-old got his first head coaching job with the first iteration of the Winnipeg Jets in the 1988-89 season and has a career record of 310-408-37, with 48 ties split between two iterations of the Jets, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Arizona Coyotes and Dallas. Stars.

Bowness had several layoffs last season. Bowness missed 13 games early in the season after his wife became ill and then missed five after undergoing a medical procedure in March.

More details.