Bones is back Former Jets bench boss Bowness returns to NHL as Blue Jackets head coach By: Ken Wiebe Posted: 5:41 PM CST Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026

Rick Bowness is a problem solver who oozes passion and has a penchant for bringing people together.

So when the former Winnipeg Jets head coach got a call from Don Waddell asking him if he’d have any interest in getting back behind an NHL bench, Bowness made the choice to come out of retirement yet again.

In joining the Columbus Blue Jackets and replacing Dean Evason in an unexpected announcement on Monday, you could say that Bowness is back where he belongs.

“Bones sees the game in a special way and he’s got a special talent for connecting with his players and conveying that message,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey, who exchanged text messages with Bowness after the news became official. “I know how much he loves the game and he’s been a fixture in the NHL for so long. I really enjoyed having him as a coach. It was nice to hear that he was feeling really good and he’s in a position where he feels he can come back and coach with this opportunity.

“So, I’m excited for him. But first and foremost, I’m happy that he’s in a great spot.”

When Bowness spoke at his introductory news conference after the morning skate on Tuesday, he reiterated that the health of both himself and his wife Judy had improved significantly since he decided to leave the Jets following the 2023-24 season.

“When you have health issues, it kind of puts things in perspective,” Bowness told reporters in Columbus. “Without the health issues, I would not have stepped down. The passion is still there, but we had to overcome some issues. That opened the door again. We got our health back to where we needed it to be.

“The break is over.”

When Bowness arrived on the scene in the summer of 2023, the Jets had just missed the playoffs and the team was in a tough spot. Paul Maurice stepped away from the Jets in December and the final several months of the season revealed some issues that needed addressing.

“Without the health issues, I would not have stepped down. The passion is still there, but we had to overcome some issues. That opened the door again. We got our health back to where we needed it to be.”

Bowness was lauded for his ability to help change the culture and help the Jets back to being a tight-knit group.

“He knows what he’s doing. He’s been around for so long. They have a younger core, so he’s going to come in and do a wonderful job,” said Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov. “He was here for a while and brought the guys closer together. He changed the culture a little bit. That’s what Bones does. He did that in Dallas as well. So, maybe they brought him in to do that in Columbus as well. Wherever he is, he does a wonderful job and I’m just happy that he’s back.”

Evason did a great job under incredibly challenging circumstances last season after the tragic death of star player Johnny Gaudreau and nearly guided the Blue Jackets into the Stanley Cup playoffs, finishing two points behind the Montreal Canadiens in the chase for the second wild card berth in the Eastern Conference.

But this season hasn’t gone as smoothly, with the Blue Jackets sitting below the playoff line and embroiled in a battle for last place in the East.

Enter Bowness, who is signed through the end of the season before the Blue Jackets reassess things at that point.

“He was pretty surprised when he got the call. I think everybody’s surprised, certainly about what happened there,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “He’s a lifer. He’s a lifer coach. And an opportunity to step in and help a group — I guess change his nickname to The Fixer. He just felt really comfortable in his health and where both him and Judy are at and just decided to take another shot at it.”

Since Bowness’ departure, he and Arniel have kept in regular contact.

“I don’t know if we’ve missed a month in the last two years where we haven’t chatted, whether I’m calling him or he’s calling me,” said Arniel. “He’s telling me about his golf game. He’ll phone about something he sees, two other teams playing. He was working for the media, so I thought he was looking for inside scoops. But no, that’s why I’m not overly surprised that he’s going into Columbus.

“He’s been doing some TV, but he’s watching games all the time and critiquing things. He’s a close friend. So that’s something we’ve done prior to even us working together. We’re always in constant communication.”

That ability to communicate is something the Blue Jackets are counting on, to help get things turned around with a team that’s underachieving and has seen some young and talented players plateau in terms of their development.

Although Bowness’ teams are known for having a strict commitment to defensive structure, several members of the Jets were also able to post career years offensively.

“You guys know him. No matter where he’s been, his mindset has always been about defending first and that’s an area people have been talking about with Columbus needing to improve on,” said Arniel. “He’ll go in and he’ll find some things that need to be improved on and he’ll go at them hard.”

“Wherever he is, he does a wonderful job and I’m just happy that he’s back.”

Bowness has been quick to identify a few of the issues the Blue Jackets will need to sort through to move in an upward trajectory.

“I look at the goals against, the shots against, the penalty kill, the slot chances against, the rush chances against. There’s the issue and those issues will take you right out of the playoffs,” said Bowness, 70.

“This isn’t the 80’s, man. You don’t score your way into the playoffs. You defend your way into the playoffs and you get your offence from good, solid team defence. But that’s team defence, with everyone committed. We’re just going to try to get everyone to buy in more defensively. Are there some structural changes we can make? Absolutely. And we’re going to make them.”

Bowness took over from Jim Montgomery with the Dallas Stars in December of 2019, but the circumstances were different as he was promoted from within the coaching staff, not as a voice from the outside.

However, the Stars reached the Stanley Cup final that spring, losing in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“The difference there, in Dallas we were playing well, so we were going to keep doing what we were doing,” said Bowness. “This team (the Blue Jackets) is not playing well. It’s not only the X and O changes, it’s the nastiness, it’s the heart and soul. That has to change.

“Listen, their responsibility as pro athletes is to show up ready to work, ready to compete. We’ll give you the structure to win, but the rest is on you.”

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