Jets coach Bowness takes medical leave

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This article was published 19/03/2024 (565 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK — Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness has taken a medical leave from the team.

The 69-year-old has left the club during a road trip, which began with a 6-1 win in Columbus on Sunday.

Bowness has returned to Winnipeg for what the club is calling a minor procedure. There is no timetable for his return.

“It’s serious, but it wasn’t something that’s going to be extended long-term,” associate coach Scott Arniel, who will take over in the interim beginning with Tuesday night’s game against the New York Rangers, told the Free Press.

Arniel said he received a phone call from Bowness late Sunday night, after the club had flown here following a 6-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, to give him a heads up that there could be issues.

It evolved into Bowness going to a New York hospital for much of Monday, then ultimately flying back to Winnipeg in the evening.

“They know what it is, he’s going to get looked at and he might even be back, we’ll see how it goes, by the end of the trip,” Arniel said.

The Jets play Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, then wrap up on Saturday and Sunday with matinee games against the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals.

“It’s tough to lose the leader on the bench and kind of in the room and everything,” captain Adam Lowry said following the morning skate at Madison Square Garden.

“We’ve got a great supporting staff with the coaches and leadership group in this room. Hopefully we can put Rick’s mind at ease as he recovers.”

Arniel went 9-2-2 earlier this season while at the helm when Bowness took a leave in order to care for his wife, who had suffered a seizure and was undergoing medical treatment and testing. That leave of absence was announced Oct. 23.

“We’ve went through it this year already. We know what to expect,” Jets forward Mark Scheifele said.

“We know what Arnie is like. Obviously he did a fantastic job then. It also comes from everyone. Everyone’s got to step up just like when a guy goes down and you need extra players to step up. We just need everyone to step up in his absence and keep this thing going.”

The Jets have a record of 89-52-8 since Bowness became coach, which includes games he was not behind the bench. He missed a handful of games last season while dealing with COVID.

Bowness became Winnipeg’s coach before the 2022-23 NHL season. The Jets had a 46-33-3 record and were eliminated in five games in the first round by the Vegas Golden Knights, who went on to win their first Stanley Cup championship.

“His health comes first. We just make sure he’s healthy and pray for him and hope that he comes back stronger than ever,” Scheifele said.

Bowness has previously been head coach of the NHL’s first Winnipeg Jets franchise and of the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders and Phoenix (now Arizona) Coyotes.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg