Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness has announced his retirement

Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness has announced his retirement after nearly 40 years in hockey.

Bowness' first NHL head coaching job was with the original Jets franchise in the 1988-89 season as a mid-season replacement. He also held head coaching roles with the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars, as well as associate roles with the Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning.

His 2,726 games as a coach are the most in league history, and his 309 wins as a head coach ranks him 54th all-time.

Bowness, 69, guided the Jets to a 52-24-6 regular season record, finished second in the Western Conference with 110 points, but was eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche in five games in the first round of the Stanley Cup. Cup playoff.

Winnipeg won Game 1 7-6, then lost four straight in Game 5 in a 6-3 home loss.

He coached in the All-Star Game for the first time this year, serving as McKinnon's bench boss.

Winnipeg fell to the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Vegas Golden Knights, in five games in the first round last year.

Bowness posted a 98-57-9 regular season record in two seasons with the Jets.

He had a mutual option on the third year of his contract, which he signed when he joined the team on July 3, 2022.