Jets officially name Rick Bowness head coach

The Winnipeg Jets officially hired Rick Bowness as head coach on Sunday.

Bowness stepped down as Dallas Stars bench boss in May after three seasons. Peter DeBoer then took the job after being fired by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Paul Maurice stepped down as Jets coach in December. Dave Lowry finished the season behind the bench on an interim basis. Winnipeg missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017 after finishing sixth in the Central Division with a 39-32-11 record.

The Jets heavily pursued Barry Trotz for their head coaching vacancy, but the Winnipeg native and 2018 Stanley Cup winner informed the club he won't coach anywhere next season.

Bowness has a long track record behind an NHL bench. The 67-year-old coached the original Jets before they relocated, the Stars, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, and then-Phoenix Coyotes. He's also served as an assistant with the Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning.

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