I’m sorry, Rick Bowness

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I owe Rick Bowness an apology.

When Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff announced Bowness as the team’s new head coach this past off season, I derided the hiring as uninspired. I thought the Jets were listless. Dead in the water. Too many under-performing players. And I didn’t know how Bowness was going to reinvigorate the club.

Well, call me a fool, because I deserve it. Just over a year since then-head coach Paul Maurice submitted his letter of resignation to Winnipeg management, Bowness has guided the Jets to eighth-place overall in the NHL. And the team shows no sign of slowing down.

Bowness has been behind an NHL bench as a head or assistant coach for more than 2,600 games. He’s 67 years old. And after he coached the Dallas Stars to a first-round exit during the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, I think most people had written him off.

I sure did. It felt like things had run their course in Dallas. The Stars experienced a rollercoaster 2021-22 season punctuated by streaky play. The consistency just didn’t seem to be there.

So when Bowness was hired by the Jets, I was surprised. Winnipeg was the definition of mid last year. The Jets couldn’t get it together long enough to make up any ground. It was always one step forward, two steps back.

And that goes without saying the obvious: Bowness wasn’t the Jets’ first choice. Overtures to Barry Trotz went nowhere. Other options were explored. Ultimately, Winnipeg had to settle on Bowness because no one else really wanted the gig. Or at least that’s what it felt like.

But what I think has really come to light this season is just how important Bowness can be to a team’s psyche. Winnipeg looks completely rejuvenated this season. The Jets are playing with a passionate, empowered identity.

The players I know who have been coached by Bowness all say this: he genuinely cares about them. And that there’s a fatherly quality to his approach.

I remember talking to some of my former Stars teammates about Bowness when coached the team to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019-20. And one player told me he’d go through a wall for him.

That really stood out. And I do think there was a special element to that Stars team. It was an improbable run. And the players were all keenly aware that Bowness – despite spending more than 40 years of his life in the NHL – had never hoisted the Stanley Cup.

I see a similar effect happening with the Jets. Bowness spent the summer contacting players and crafting a game plan for both team and personal success.

There is no greater example than Winnipeg defenseman Josh Morrissey. The 27-year old veteran of 465 NHL contests is having a career year and is a frontrunner for the Norris Trophy. Morrissey is well over a point-per-game pace, more than double his career average.

Why? Because Bowness provided a path for Morrissey to increase his confidence with the puck. The Jets defender isn’t just throwing shots at the net. He’s playing with patience and holding onto pucks. Morrissey is still a one-timer threat on the power play. But under Bowness, he’s become much more dynamic all across the ice.

And then there’s Pierre-Luc Dubois, a pending restricted free agent, who’s also on a personal-best scoring pace. He’s never scored 30 goals in a season or been more than a point-per-game player. But this year, under Bowness, Dubois already has 48 points in 42 games. And he’s tracking for close to 40 goals.

Sure, Connor Hellebuyck is having a mega season. Kyle Connor is filling the net after a slow start. Mark Scheifele looks energized. And despite being stripped of the Winnipeg captaincy prior to the 2022-23 NHL season, Blake Wheeler is performing up to expectations relative to age.

Simply put: the Jets really don’t have any passengers. And that’s a huge credit to Bowness. Finding a way to maximize each and every player isn’t easy.

I look back and I’m mad at myself for underestimating a coach that is known – especially in recent times – for galvanizing hockey teams. I don’t think the Stars would have made it to the Stanley Cup final in 2020 without Bowness at the helm. I see much the same happening this year in Winnipeg. Bowness has taken a roster rife with talent but short on purpose and turned it into a formidable contender.

The 2022 offseason featured some high-profile coaching changes around the league. Bruce Cassidy went to the Vegas Golden Knights and Jim Montgomery replaced him as head coach of the Boston Bruins. Pete DeBoer was hired by the Dallas Stars. And amazingly, all three teams are currently leading their respective divisions.

But if you ask me, no one has done a better job than Bowness. I fully expected Winnipeg to be stuck in the middle and trending downward this year.

Instead, the Jets are a stout second-place in the Central division. Several players are having career years. And Winnipeg’s core is getting the job done.

So, here goes: I’m sorry, Rick. I underestimated you. And I think at the midway point of the 2022-23 NHL season, you deserve the Jack Adams Award. Because no coach has contributed as much to his team’s success as you have.