{"id":627569,"date":"2026-04-25T10:57:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T10:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/627569\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T10:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T10:57:13","slug":"its-my-life-rick-bowness-71-returning-behind-blue-jackets-bench","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/627569\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It’s my life’: Rick Bowness, 71, returning behind Blue Jackets’ bench"},"content":{"rendered":"

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After 44 years and close to 3,000 games behind an NHL bench, Rick Bowness still loves the game.<\/p>\n

And even a day after his team’s season came to a disappointing end, Bowness said he views every day spent in the NHL as a blessing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my life,\u201d the 71-year-old coach said in an interview. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about what I do, but who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bowness has signed on for another season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, three months after coming out of retirement<\/a> to become the NHL’s oldest head coach.<\/p>\n

He took over behind the Columbus bench on Jan. 12 with the team mired in last place in the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets went 19-3-4 in their next 26 games and climbed as high as second in the Metropolitan Division before stumbling down the stretch, going 2-8-1 to miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year.<\/p>\n

From the boat to the bench<\/p>\n

Born in Moncton, N.B., and raised in the Fairview neighbourhood of Halifax, Bowness played 173 career NHL games and began his NHL coaching career as an assistant with the Winnipeg Jets in 1984-85.<\/p>\n

When he retired for personal reasons on May 6, 2024<\/a>, after two seasons as the Jets’ head coach, his 2,726 games as an NHL\u00a0head coach or assistant coach\u00a0were the most by anyone in league history.<\/p>\n

Bowness said he spent his 621 days of retirement between Florida in the winter and Grand Lake, N.S., in the summer, cruising around with his wife, Judy, on their boat, only watching games on television and even declining an opportunity to return to the NHL in 2025.<\/p>\n

\"ThreeThese are hockey cards from Rick Bowness’s NHL playing days. He played 173 games with four teams. (Brian Freeman\/CBC)<\/p>\n

But by the time Blue Jackets\u2019 general manager Don Waddell called him in January, he was looking to make his return and wasn’t certain he’d receive another call from an NHL team.<\/p>\n

He said he had a \u201cvery short and quick\u201d conversation with Judy, who had suffered a stroke during the final months of his tenure with the Jets but was feeling \u201c100 per cent better\u201d and was just as ready for a return as he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe couldn’t wait to get here,\u201d Bowness said. \u201cShe loves the games.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ABowness mixes it up in the corner with David Gustafsson (19) during the opening day of the Winnipeg Jets’ NHL training camp in Winnipeg on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. (John Woods\/The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n

The longtime coach said part of what he missed most during his retirement was his relationship with the players.<\/p>\n

But while the Blue Jackets went on a hot streak after his arrival, their late-season slump was a disappointment and Bowness let his players know it at the news conference after their season-ending loss to the Washington Capitals, vowing to change the culture if he returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese guys, they don\u2019t care. Losing is not important enough to them. It doesn\u2019t bother them. How can you go out and play like that?\u201d Bowness said at the news conference. \u201cThis is why we\u2019re out of the playoffs. That kind of effort. You have to hate losing. I don\u2019t care if it\u2019s a meaningless game. I don\u2019t care. Show up and compete.\u201d<\/p>\n

A day after his harsh comments, he said the team had some young players who hadn\u2019t experienced an NHL playoff push before.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a learning curve for them and hopefully that’ll make us stronger for next year,\u201d Bowness said.<\/p>\n

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