How Rick Bowness rescued the Winnipeg Jets with a formula that never gets old

It seemed like the Winnipeg Jets were headed for the scrap heap.

Paul Maurice was out as head coach. Blake Wheeler was stripped of his captaincy. Pierre-Luc Dubois was playing out the string until free agency. Connor Hellebuyck was a shadow of his former self in net. The locker room was said to be poisonous, with free agents unwilling to sign. A once-promising team in disarray.

In walked Rick Bowness, an NHL head coach for the seventh time with numerous assistant coaching gigs on top of that.

At 67, an age when most Canadians would be putting up their feet in retirement, Bowness became hockey’s beloved Mr. Fixit.

A couple of years ago, he took over an underperforming Dallas Stars as “interim” coach and they went all the way to the Stanley Cup final. Now the Jets, who had been underperforming for a couple of years, are tops in the Central Division and one of the NHL’s best teams.

“It goes back to the players buying in,” said Bowness. “Our players are very proud, and they were very disappointed how last season went. They wanted to put that behind them, and they wanted changes. So, we gave them changes.

“They wanted more of a voice in the locker room; we gave that to them. We gave them a couple of changes in the way they play. But the biggest thing is that they were hurt by how they were perceived last year in terms of the culture. They were hurt by their play. Give the players all the credit, because they came back in training camp with the right attitude. They wanted to win. They wanted to prove last year was a one-off and that they are a much better team, and a much tighter team.”

Hellebuyck has turned his game around and is playing like a Vezina Trophy candidate again. Defenceman Josh Morrissey looks like he’ll be in the mix for the Norris. Rookie Cole Perfetti could have a shot at the Calder. Wheeler took the leadership change like a pro. It’s all probably enough to make Bowness a finalist for the Jack Adams as coach of the year.

“From day one, he’s been an optimist and positive, and he puts those vibes in our heads,” said Morrissey. “He put the thought into our heads that if we buy into the system, we buy into the culture of our team, then we can be an elite team in this league. It’s been hard work, but we have the buy-in from our guys throughout our lineup.”

Bowness took his first coaching gig in 1984 with the Sherbrooke Jets, while finishing a 10-year playing career as a journeyman pro at the same time. Since then, he had been either head coach or an assistant with the Jets (both iterations), Bruins, Senators, Coyotes, Canucks, Lightning and Stars.

“His experiences are pretty incredible when you think about it: looking at his hockey (resumé) and see the guys that he’s played with back in the day, or the names of the guys that he’s coached in the league,” said Morrissey. “There’s no situation that you can come across in the NHL that he hasn’t experienced. It’s nice to have that confidence in your coach that he can read the game, and you know that no situation is new.”

It would be easy to stereotype him as an old-school coach, but Bowness was ahead of the curve from the start, putting communication at the forefront. That makes him well equipped to deal with today’s young players, who crave feedback and are not shy about challenging coaches.

“Communication has always been very important to me,” said Bowness. “I always said when I retired as a player and got into coaching, I was going to coach the way I wanted to be coached; communication was a big part … It means you’re having tough conversations with players sometimes — they don’t want to hear some of the things you’re saying — but it’s better to be said, and be clearer with your message, than to keep it inside and have a grey area with the players.”

It’s worked for the Jets this season, and only enhanced the coach’s reputation leaguewide.

“What stands out is his personality and character,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said of Bowness. “You never hear a bad word said about Rick Bowness. That tends to give you longevity in the league. He’s served a lot of different coaching staffs in different roles, and he’s given a lot to the game that way.”