Bowness to remain Blue Jackets coach, agrees to contract

COLUMBUS -- Rick Bowness will return as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets next season after agreeing to a contract on Thursday.

The announcement comes two days after an emotional Bowness called out his players following a 2-1 season-ending loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, after the Blue Jackets (40-30-12) finished with a six-game home losing streak (0-5-1) at Nationwide Arena. It was the sixth straight season Columbus failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“Sometimes my passion gets in my way, and it does, and that's happened before," the 71-year-old said Thursday. "I'm hoping it won't happen but it's why I'm sitting here. It’s the passion and the love of the game, so that's who I am. And you know, there's times it goes overboard. I know that I probably pushed it a little bit far, and I get that, but that's who I am. And the players know that I'm a talker, I'm a yeller, and I love the game and I'm passionate about the game. I love the players, and they know that.

“We've got to teach them how to win. That's my job and I've got to do a better job of it because we didn't do it this year. And just as important, we're going to teach them how to hate to lose. We've just got to hate to lose.

"I am anxious to come back and finish the job I came here to do, and that's to get the Columbus Blue Jackets in the playoffs. I wouldn’t come back if I didn’t think we could make the playoffs.”

Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said he was convinced Bowness should remain behind the bench in Columbus.

“Obviously, if you look at the body of work that happened here over the last 37 games, I'm very pleased with Rick's work," Waddell said. "I've said all along that the strengths of this organization from a coaching standpoint has been the communication he's had with the players and getting the players ready to play on a regular basis.”

“It's always interesting when you do make changes how players are going to respond and even through all the exit meetings that have happened so far, every player to a man said they love playing for Rick, they respect Rick and they're all hoping he'd come back for another year.”

Many of the players said they were also glad to see Bowness stay behind the bench.

“He's the best coach I've personally ever had,” defenseman Damon Severson said Thursday. “I've had a couple of really good coaches. I've had some really not good coaches, but 'Bones' has been the best one so far.

“We're all big fans of Bones. We let the team down, the organization and the fans down by not being in the playoffs, but Rick Bowness is not the issue at all. He's going to be part of the solution here.” 

Bowness had questioned his players' lack of caring after their season ended Tuesday.

“I don’t know if I’m back but if I’m back, I’m changing this culture,” he said then. “These guys, they don’t care. Losing is not important enough to them. It doesn’t bother them. How can you go out and play like that? I should have done this about a month ago. But this is why we are where we are. This is why we’re out of the playoffs, that kind of effort.”

Though the 13 players interviewed Wednesday and Thursday disagreed with those words, they were on board with Bowness returning.

“I just love the passion and energy that he brings every day, the communication with everyone,” forward Mathieu Olivier said Thursday. “It's been really good to have him around and been working with him and we've started to build a really good relationship with him and the coaching staff and everyone here.”

Bowness was 21-11-5 for the Blue Jackets this season to run his NHL career coaching totals to 331-419-42 with 48 ties in in 840 games for the Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and Blue Jackets. He retired for personal reasons as Winnipeg coach following the 2023-24 season.

His 2,763 games as a coach (including interim) or an assistant are the most in NHL history.

“I think he's done a lot of great things for our team, our locker room, our systems,” Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli said. “He's done a lot for me. I appreciate it.”

Bowness was pulled from his retirement boat in Florida, as he likes to say, to replace Dean Evason on Jan. 12, with Columbus last in the Eastern Conference and 28th in the NHL at 19-19-7.

At the time, Waddell said Bowness was hired only through the end of this season and his future would be decided at its conclusion.

The Blue Jackets then went 19-3-4 in their next 26 games to move into second place in the Metropolitan Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference.

“Bones planning how he came in and helped us and gave us the template on how to win was remarkable. He helped us out a ton,” defenseman Erik Gudbranson said Wednesday. “We liked his process. Kept us very focused, kept us very dialed in to those small increments. One game at a time. We were very good at that for a good portion of time.”

Then the bottom fell out, with season-ending injuries to Olivier and Severson contributing to a 2-8-1 finish. 

“Watching what's transpired, I think Rick gets the most out of these guys, obviously, with a little stretch there for multiple reasons that it didn't work out," Waddell said. "But the body of work I watched over the second half of the season, 100 percent we wouldn't be sitting here today announcing Rick if we didn't think that was the case.”

With Gudbranson, centers Boone Jenner and forward Mason Marchment potentially becoming unrestricted free agents July 1, it was imperative for Waddell to resolve Bowness’ situation quickly.

“I respect the (heck) out of Bones,” Marchment said Wednesday. "He's a (heck) of a coach. He's been around for a long time. He knows the game. He knows how to talk to players. He's really personable. You can be honest and up front with him and he'll take your information and do what he wants with it.”

Said Severson, "I think we can do some damage with him at the helm next year and he clearly made his comments well known the end of the season,” he said. “So, we're going to be chomping at the bit -- we're a long way off -- but we're going to be chomping at the bit come next season.”

Bowness said he's keeping an open mind beyond next season.

"I'm not here because I need a job," he said. "I don't need a job. I'm here because I love the organization. As long as I'm enjoying this and I love coming to the rink and I love working with the guys, and I do, and I love the game action from behind the bench, as long as that passion is there you go year-to-year. Absolutely.

“If there's ever a day, and I've always told this to Judy (his wife), the day I wake up and I don't want to go to the rink, then I know I've had enough. We haven't had that day yet.”