Bowness to return as Jets head coach next season

Rick Bowness will be back behind the Winnipeg Jets' bench in 2023-24, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff confirmed Sunday.

"The job that Rick did for us in coming in and taking on this task and giving him a shot at trying to win (the) Stanley Cup, I thought they did a great job," the GM said.

The Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Jets in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series Thursday night. Bowness publicly tore into his team in the aftermath, saying he was "so disappointed and disgusted" with their efforts.

Jets forward Blake Wheeler criticized Bowness on Saturday, saying he didn't agree with how the bench boss handled himself after the defeat. Wheeler felt Bowness could've had those conversations with the team in private rather than airing them with the media, though Wheeler clarified Bowness did so with the team in the second intermission of Game 5.

Bowness then walked back his postgame comments. He said he regretted using the word "disgusted" and admitted he let his emotions get the better of him in the moment.

Wheeler was the Jets' captain for six seasons dating back to 2016-17. But Bowness stripped him of the "C" heading into this campaign, and Winnipeg subsequently played without a captain all season.

The Jets nabbed the second Western Conference wild-card spot with a 46-33-3 record.

Cheveldayoff said Bowness' contract is for two years plus an option. The Jets hired the veteran bench boss in July. The 68-year-old coach replaced Dave Lowry, who took over when Paul Maurice resigned in December 2021.

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