After 40 years of coaching, former Islanders head coach Rick Bowness has called it a career.
After 40 years behind an NHL bench, Rick Bowness has decided to call it a career.
The 69-year-old ends his career as a finalist for the Jack Adams trophy for the first time in his career after his Winnipeg Jets finished second in the Central Division this past season.
Unfortunately for Bowness and the Jets, they fell in five games to the Colorado Avalanche.
Bowness played six seasons in the NHL from 1975-1981, finishing his career with 18 goals and 37 assists in 173 games for four different franchises (ATL, DET, STL, WIN).
Following the 1980-81 season as a member of the Jets, Bowness retired from the NHL.
Three years later, he started his NHL coaching career with Winnipeg (the first installment of the franchise, which then became the Arizona Coyotes) as an assistant from 1984-1987. He was named interim head coach during the 1989-90 season, replacing Don Maloney.
Following that season, Bowness wasn't able to retain the job, being sent to the AHL to head coach their affiliate, the Maine Mariners.
After returning to the NHL and coaching the Boston Bruins for one season in 1991-92, Bowness became the head coach of the Ottawa Senators for the better part of four seasons (1992-1996) before being fired during the 1995-96 campaign.
That's when he joined Mike Milbury's staff on the island as an associate head coach for the New York Islanders.
Bowness' stay on the island was short, taking over as the head coach for the 1996-97 season as Milbury moved upstairs, being relieved of his duties during the 1997-98 season for Milbury.
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After leaving the Islanders, Bowness coached in Arizona, Vancouver, and Dallas before ending his career as the Jets' head coach for the last two seasons.
Bowness won 309 games (309-408-37) over his 40 years as an NHL head coach.