The Columbus Blue Jackets announced on Apr. 16 that Rick Bowness will continue as the club’s head coach during the 2026-27 season, following an agreement between Bowness and the organization. The announcement was made by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell.
Bowness took over as head coach on January 12, replacing Dean Evason, and led the team to a record of 21-11-5 in his first 37 games behind the bench. This decision is seen as an effort by the Blue Jackets to build on recent progress and pursue their goal of competing for a Stanley Cup.
“Rick has done an outstanding job since his arrival and it was obvious to all of us that he is the right person to lead our club as head coach,” said Waddell. “Rick developed strong relationships with our players who will continue to benefit greatly from his leadership as we look to learn from the hard lessons of this season and work towards our goal of competing for a Stanley Cup.”
Bowness, who is 71 years old, has served in various coaching roles across several National Hockey League teams throughout his career. He has compiled a record of 331 wins, 419 losses, 48 ties, and 42 overtime losses in a total of 840 games as either head or interim coach with teams including Columbus, Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, and Boston Bruins.
“I have really enjoyed my time with this organization and absolutely love being part of it and working with these players,” said Bowness. “We’re all very disappointed by how our season ended and we have a lot of work to do, but we will do what’s necessary to be the type of team we want to be and that our great fans expect us to be. I’m excited about continuing the work we started here, and I appreciate the confidence in me shown by Don, (CBJ President) Mike Priest and our ownership group led by the McConnell family.”
Bowness previously coached Winnipeg from 2022-24 where he led them into back-to-back playoff appearances before joining Columbus mid-season. His extensive coaching experience also includes leading Dallas Stars into the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 after being named interim head coach during that campaign.
