That close nature has started to pay dividends on the ice. As Bowness has said a few times, you can talk about X’s and O’s all you want – and the Blue Jackets have improved in some key areas under Bowness, especially defensively – but so often the game of hockey comes down to intangibles like passion and effort.
And leadership. After a number of recent games, Blue Jackets players have spoken of the accountability Bowness has brought to the table, a culture that is filtering its way into the locker room.
“I think we’re just really sticking to the details and really making sure that we don’t let anything creep into our game right now,” Olivier said. “There’s always positives in our games, but I think he’s on top of what we need to do better every night. Right now, we’re processing it and applying it to the games, and I think we also expect more out of each other. Just the way we talk on the bench now, the way we are reacting to plays that maybe we shouldn’t make, guys are holding us accountable.
“There’s really good things going on right now.”
To a head coach, that’s music to their ears.
“You have to have it,” Bowness said of the leadership. “(There’s) the old cliche of bad teams, no one leads; good teams, the coaches lead; on a really great team, the players lead. And that’s what we’re trying to get to. We have great leadership, great veterans here, and they’re doing a good job.”
Communication Is Key
Bowness skated in 173 games with five NHL teams over six seasons during his playing career, the most coming in 1977-78 when he had 61 appearances with the Detroit Red Wings. He was a classic bubble player, spending parts of six seasons in the Central Hockey League and three years in the American Hockey League.
The native of Moncton, New Brunswick, was a give-it-all-he-had role player, not a vaunted scorer by any stretch, and minutes were often hard to come by. Sometimes, they didn’t come at all, which led to an experience that informed his coaching philosophy.
“When I was in the NHL, I won’t tell you which team, but I sat on the bench the whole game,” Bowness said. “I didn’t get a shift. So I went to the coach the next day and I asked him, I said, ‘OK, what can I do to play a little bit more?’ And he just said, ‘Work harder.’
“Well, that’s all I had was a work ethic. I wasn’t a great player, but I knew I was working. That told me right there, if I’m ever gonna coach, I’m gonna be straight up with the guys. They may not like what they hear, but they are gona know where they stand.”
It also helped that Bowness got into coaching at a young age, first serving as a player/coach in 1982-83 with the Sherbrooke Jets of the AHL. He was promoted to an assistant coach with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets in 1984-85, just 29 years old when he received that opportunity.
Not to say he was making it up on the fly, but taking on the job at such a young age, Bowness knew his biggest strength was going to be how he related to players. As he’s gotten older, he may have a little less of a filter – after all, at 71, he’s past the point of chasing jobs – but the same strategy remains.
He has an affable personality, little ego and a way with people that makes them feel comfortable off the bat, but as a coach, he acknowledges the message he has to deliver isn’t always one players want to hear. But drawing from his playing days, nothing is more important than players hearing it.
“They may not like what they hear, but they are gonna know where they stand,” Bowness said. “That’s where communication comes in. You have to be able to look the player in the eye, talk to him. They’re not always pleasant conversations, but they have to be made. And the players don’t always hear what they want to hear, but at least they know where they stand and what they need to do, and that’s the most important thing for me.”
For his new players, the transition has been an easy one because it keeps things black and white.
“All I’ve ever wanted out of coaches, really, is the communication aspect to know exactly what he wants from me, when he wants it, because ultimately we’re trying to take out his plan and see it through,” Adam Fantilli said. “Knowing exactly what he wants helps so much. There’s no gray area, and I find that helps a lot with keeping things cut and dry.”
Players said that Bowness often stops by in the locker room for a quick chat before practice, and it’s not uncommon on the ice to see Bowness pull a player or two aside, whether it be for a quick chat or a more in-depth discussion about something. Late in a Feb. 2 practice before the Blue Jackets headed out for their final road trip before the break, Bowness and captain Boone Jenner chatted at center ice for a few minutes while the team went through power-play drills.
“He’s communicating with everybody – not only me, but throughout the whole lineup,” Jenner said. “I think it’s really good. You know where you stand, you know what’s expected. It depends on the conversation. Sometimes we’re just trying to get a feel or think about a schedule or whatever it may be, but I think the communication has been huge for our group.”
Another example of that came at the end of a January practice when Bowness gathered Fantilli, Marchment and Kirill Marchenko. The CBJ top line had just combined for nine points in a win over Tampa Bay, but the message was things weren’t about to get any easier. As the games get tighter and the Blue Jackets hit the road, Bowness told the trio he believed it could be one of the best lines in the NHL, but he had to know he could play them in all scenarios, especially when the matchups might not be so favorable.
Marchment has played for five NHL teams, including three the past two seasons, and said he appreciated what the conversation meant.
“He’s just so open and honest,” Marchment said. “You know what he wants from you. He’s an easy guy to play for that way, and you know, for our line to have that confidence and being able to play our game and go against the other teams’ top lines, it’s a huge honor and an awesome responsibility to have.
“He’s probably the most I’ve talked to (a coach). He’s very communicative and he gets his message across really well.”
Tweaks Here And There
Jim Montgomery knows Bowness well. The St. Louis Blues head coach had Bowness on his staff as an assistant in Dallas, then coached against him during Bowness’ stints leading the Stars and Jets.
When the Blues hosted the Blue Jackets on Jan. 31, Montgomery noticed a few things that stood out about how Columbus had made its turnaround under his old friend.
“They’re playing with great pace and great competitive spirit,” Montgomery said. “Their will is very obvious. The structure, I don’t think he’s made that many changes. I don’t think they’ve had time ... so they’re still doing stuff in the neutral zone and in the defensive zone that I don’t see as Bones.”
Yet, it’s working. Bowness has famously said you defend your way into the postseason, and the Blue Jackets have made some improvements in the defensive zone during his tenure.
Columbus is allowing just 2.18 goals per game in Bowness’ 11 contests in charge, a mark that ties for second in the NHL in that span. In addition, per Natural Stat Trick, the Blue Jackets have improved from 24th in the league to fifth in expected goals allowed per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 and from 15th to first in high-danger chances allowed per 60 minutes.
Bowness knew he couldn’t change everything from a scheme standpoint when he took over considering it was more than halfway through the season, but it’s clear what he’s tweaked has been working.
“Listen, in my mind, we’re still a work in progress,” Bowness said. “We’ll keep getting better. It doesn’t mean we’re going to win every game, but there’s certain areas we’re going to keep addressing until we get it to where I like what I see. Monty’s right, but for the most part, we’re hard to play against. I talked to him after the game and he said, ‘You guys are heavy, you’re on top of us and we were frustrated,’ and that’s what we want to do.”
That echoes a message Olivier has heard as he's talked opponents around the league, and what has surprised him the most is how the changes Bowness has implemented have been introduced.
“To be honest, I feel it’s been easier than I thought I thought it would be because it’s been very progressive,” Olivier said. “Every game, there’s a little something that changes, but you have to be alert and you have to be listening and registering everything that’s being said. I think our group has been doing a good job at that, but they’re also on top of us. The coaching staff, everyone has really doubled down and making sure that we do video, we see all those things, we make sure that players register what we’re changing.”
So far, the mix has been good, and Bowness went into the Olympic break happy with what he’s seen from his team from an X’s and O’s standpoint but also in how they’re working together to get the job done.
"The success comes from the guys doing their job, and trusting the other guy to do his job,” Bowness said. “We’re seeing much more of that trust developing. We’re seeing far more communication with the defense and the backchecking. All the little details of the game, we’re picking up. Now, are there some breakdowns, or breakdowns in every game? There’s no such thing as a perfect hockey game, but we’re seeing less and less of that.
“When I say we’re a work in progress, we’re getting there, and we’ll just keep pushing it. But there’s far more positive signs and there’s far more positive video breakdowns than a couple weeks ago.”
The Blue Jackets are expected to get back on the ice Wednesday after 13 days off, and the goal will be to recapture the mojo they had before they all went their separate ways – two players to Milano Cortina, everyone else to enjoy some vacation time and rest up for what will be a mad dash to the end of the NHL season.
When they step back on the ice, they shouldn’t expect many major changes, though. They may not be playing the exact style of hockey Bowness has been known for, but they’re playing the way they now know they can win games.
“There’s not that many things we’re going to change,” Bowness said. “We don’t have to. We’re realizing the right way to play. We’re starting to understand when we can and cannot make plays, so we’re not turning the puck over as much. The structure has been good.
“But give the players a ton of credit, man. They’ve been working their butt off. They have. It’s all on them. They’ve just bought in, so you couldn’t be more proud of the guys, just their effort.”
