(Winnipeg) Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness has announced his retirement after 38 seasons in the NHL.
The Moncton, New Brunswick native compiled a 98-57-9 record in two seasons at the helm of the Jets, each time leading the Manitoba team to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Under the 69-year-old’s leadership, the Jets finished second in the Central Division and the Western Conference. Additionally, they tied a franchise record with 52 wins, before losing to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs.
Bowness was a finalist for the Jack Adams Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL’s outstanding head coach.
He has managed eight different teams in the NHL and made 17 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including participating in the final series as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011, with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015 , and as head coach of the Dallas Stars in 2020.
Bowness is one of only three coaches in history –– along with Scotty Bowman and Pat Quinn – to have been behind the bench of an NHL team in five different decades. He is also the head coach who has coached the most games in league history, with 2,726.