Article author:
Canadian news agency
Judy Owen
Winnipeg-Rick Bowness doesn't care about being the second choice.
The new Winnipeg Jets head coach attends the first press conference on Monday after veteran wants to spend more time with his family and his first target, Barry Trotz, declines the team's offer. Did.
"If I'm in his chair, I'll chase Trotzy. I'm very easy," Bownes laughs, and Jets' general manager Kevin Cheberdayov beside him. Mentioned sitting in.
"Trotzy is the perfect person for this, I understand it. In his resume, I would have done the same as Chevy did. From Trotzy a few days ago. I received a nice text. It didn't work. That's okay. So I'm sick about the second choice? Absolutely not. I would have done the same. He was my first. It would have been a choice. "
Cheveldayoff said his pivot to Bowness took place immediately.
"Barry has decided to take care of his family, a good family," Cheveldayoff said. "When that decision became clear, I immediately reached out to Rick to see if there were any synergies and opportunities there."
Bowness resigned as head coach of the Dallas Stars after the season. He led the star to a record of 89-62-25 in 176 regular season games over almost three seasons, marking 18-16 in the playoffs.
Dallas lost to Calgary in the extra time of Round 7 in the first round of the playoffs this year. Edmonton's playoff bubble reached the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals and lost to Tampa Bay.
A 67-year-old from Moncton, New Brunswick, who signed a two-year contract on Sunday, is the eighth head coach in Jets franchise history since the club moved from Atlanta to Winnipeg. It's the third. 2011.
Bowness said former Jets player Scott Arniel, an assistant to Washington Capitals, was hired as an associate coach this year.
Jets was looking for a bench boss with a connection to the team, but Bowness has it.
The former right wing finished his 173 NHL play career with Winnipeg in the 1982 playoffs. He also began his head coaching career at Jets when he ran on the bench for the team's last 28 games between 1988 and 1989. He holds a record of 211-351-76 as an NHL head coach as part of the 12 seasons.
He will do a lot with the unachieved Jets, who haven't reached the seventh playoffs this year since the club moved to Winnipeg.
Many players have expressed dissatisfaction with the season, including Paule Maurice's sudden resignation last December. The club finished with interim head coach Dave Lowry and proceeded to 39-32-11.
"There was something missing," Bownes said of Jets last season. "I wasn't here, so I can't get into it. I derailed a bit.
" But if you go back and look at the roster, you'll see how competitive it was for a while. We all need to work together to get it back. ”
This report by Canadian Press was first published on July 4, 2022.
