“Coaching is easy. Winning is the hard part.” – Elgin Baylor
Coaches are psychologists, technicians, disciplinarians, and public relations experts. Very few coaches master one of these attributes, let alone several. Furthermore, very few NHL coaches are either 100% “good” or “bad.” Any evaluation of a coach will usually fall somewhere in the middle.
There is also no universal way to be a successful coach. John Tortorella and Jon Cooper are, by all accounts, very different human beings. The “Johns” have had relative (not equal) success in the NHL through diametrically opposed methods. So, how do we evaluate a head coach?
Based solely on experience, the Winnipeg Jets’ head coach Rick Bowness should be the best. He has coached more games as an assistant or head coach than any other coach in NHL history – 2644 in total. Experience, however, is not just about quantity, it’s also about quality. Of those 2644 games, Bowness was the head coach for 721, with an uninspiring record of 258-384-48 (a .413 winning percentage).
Of course, Win-loss records aren’t definitive, either. So, what is? Below is an attempt to define what makes a good coach, and correspondingly, how Rick Bowness performed last year based on those parameters:
Bowness and Player Relations
Throughout his career, Bowness has been known as a “player’s coach.” Throughout his coaching career in the AHL and NHL, Bowness has been labelled a “good guy,” and one who cares about his players.
Jamie Benn sang his praises while with the Dallas Stars, and likewise, Victor Hedman for the Tampa Bay Lightning. In fact, Bowness is widely credited with helping transform Hedman into one the best defensemen on the planet (from ‘How Dallas Stars coach Rick Bowness helped shape the Lightning,’ Tampa Bay Times, Dec. 20, 2021). More on that later.
Entering the 2022-23 season, the “vibes” were stratospheric. Bowness seemed to have connected with and motivated his roster. Want evidence? Check out Ville Heinola brandishing a “Bones” gold chain:
Everyone seemed to be on board the “Rick Bowness Express.” However, after the Jets’ Game 5 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, Bowness was not shy in expressing his displeasure with his team’s performance to close the series. So much so, several players publicly chastised their coach for airing dirty laundry in public.
Historically, calling Bowness a “player’s coach” is accurate, but his first season returning as the Jets’ head coach suggests that he has some work to do to regain the trust of his players.
Does Bowness Employ an Effective System?
A good guy and a good coach are not synonymous. Claude Noel was an affable fella, but not a terribly effective NHL coach. In the end, Xs and Os matter.
Bowness’ trademark is defence, but that can mean a myriad of things. The New Jersey Devils of the 90s were suffocating defensively but inept offensively, whereas, last season’s Boston Bruins were stifling, but not to the detriment of their offence.
Bowness has been a player or coach since 1975, and it shows. That’s not a slight on the sexagenarian but rather suggests that he’s old school, literally. His defensive philosophy starts with tight checking, getting above the puck, and checking with sticks in all three zones. But philosophies are only effective when they suit those expected to buy into them.
For example, midway through last season, Bowness started limiting Nik Ehlers and Cole Perfetti’s minutes in the third period of close games. The rationale seemed to be size related – since neither player is imposing defensively, they were a liability. I will submit that this concept is either bad process, or just flat wrong.
This is antiquated thinking in today’s game. The best way to win the possession battle is to possess the puck more than your opponent, and skill players are the most adept at doing that.
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The Jets’ power play is another example of old-school thinking. The club had the 10th-worst power play, last season, and it showed. Very little changed throughout the season, even when it became apparent that the Jets’ scheme had grown stale and transparent.
Bowness’ defensive strategy has also benefitted from excellent goaltending. Outside of Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger single-handedly kept the Stars competitive in the First Round series against the Calgary Flames in 2022. Following that series, there were rumblings in Dallas that perhaps the coach was not maximizing an offensive effort.
Therein lies the problem. Bowness’ system and methodology are antiquated, at times. There is a malleability to coaching that I think is lacking with an old-school coach such as Bowness.
Does Bowness Get the Best From His Players?
Maximizing a roster’s efficiency can come from encouragement or discipline. Bowness’ strategy seemed to vacillate depending on the group. Publicly, anyway, it seemed that the defensive core was encouraged, and the forward core was disciplined.
Josh Morrissey had the best season of his career last year, and Bowness promised to turn him into a juggernaut and delivered (see Hedman above). Nate Schmidt and Brendan Dillon rebounded after sub-par 2021-22 campaigns, and Dylan Samberg took a jump. Neal Pionk is still, well, Neal Pionk. Overall, defensively, the Jets improved.
Offensively, the story is different. Bowness chose discipline (selectively anyway). Benching Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Nino Neiderreiter during a March game against the Carolina Hurricanes was the tipping point of a month-long media plea by the coach to motivate his star forwards. Accountability is great, but only if it is applied evenly and consistently. Otherwise, it comes across as arbitrary and compulsive, and I think the trio felt the punishment was arbitrary.
Ehlers is a curious case. Ask a random sample of Jets fans their opinion on the great Dane, and you’ll get polarized responses. He’s either too injury and turnover prone, or he’s a wildly misused asset. I chose the latter.
Related: Jets 2022-23 Report Cards: Nikolaj Ehlers
Zone entry and puck possession are key to success in the NHL, and almost no one does it better than Ehlers:
Yet, his ice time was limited, and his power play usage was almost criminal. Offensive struggles seem to be a constant in the Bowness experience.
Still, the Jets improved in some areas last season and regressed in others. The rollercoaster ride ended in disappointment and turmoil, so it’s not unfair to say that Bowness’ first year was not great. Perhaps the additions of Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Iaffalo (both defensive-minded forwards) will better suit his plan. After all, failure is expected by losers and ignored by winners.