Bowness vows to bring Jets back to playoffs

Newly minted Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness is confident he can erase a disappointing 2021-22 campaign and lead the club back to the postseason.

The 67-year-old was officially introduced Monday after inking a two-year deal to take over behind the Jets' bench.

"This a really good hockey club and for whatever reason it lost its way last year, and myself and the coaching staff, when we get it all together, we're going to work very closely with everyone," Bowness told reporters, according to CBC's Bryce Hoye.

"We're going to get this team back in the playoffs."

The Jets finished sixth in the Central Division this past season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17. Paul Maurice stepped down as coach in December, saying the team needed a new voice. Dave Lowry took over on an interim basis but couldn't get the club on track.

There was drama within the dressing room once the season concluded as star forward Mark Scheifele questioned his future with the organization, while veteran center Paul Stastny said the players stopped caring about each other.

Bowness brought the Dallas Stars to the playoffs last season and his three-year stint in Texas included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Bowness' extensive coaching history has featured stops with the 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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