The Blue Jackets, who are tied in the standings with the Senators, made a surprising coaching change on Tuesday.
After just a season and a half on the job, the Columbus Blue Jackets have fired head coach Dean Evason.
In his place, they've hired 70-year-old Rick Bowness, who led the Ottawa Senators in their first three and a half years of existence.
“This season has been a frustrating one for all of us, and the bottom line is we are not performing at a level that meets our expectations," GM Don Waddell said in a club statement. "We all share in that responsibility, me included, and while this was not a decision that was made lightly, it is one that needed to be made at this time. Dean did a tremendous job last year under extremely difficult circumstances, and I thank him for that.”
Interestingly, Evason was hired at the same time as Sens head coach Travis Green and the two clubs are currently tied for last in the Eastern Conference with 45 points. Evason's Blue Jackets thumped Green's Senators 4-1 over the holidays.
Naturally, every team's circumstances are different, and while the Senators are pleased with Green's work so far, Columbus decided it was time to make a change and opted to bring Bowness out of retirement.
He's the second former Sens head coach to be lured back to coaching past his 70th birthday. At 71, Jacques Martin became the interim head coach in Ottawa after the firing of DJ Smith two years ago.
Bowness most recently served as the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets from 2022-24, posting a 52-24-6 regular season mark two seasons ago. The highlight of his well-travelled career came in 2020, leading the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup Final, where, in the COVID bubble, they lost a six-game series to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Rick Bowness is a tremendous coach with invaluable experience and knowledge, and he will bring a steadiness to our team at an important juncture in our season,” Waddell said. “He is a good communicator whose teams play with structure, are sound defensively, and we believe he is the right person to bring out the best in our group.”
After a season and a half away from coaching, Bowness says he's excited to jump back in.
“I appreciate the opportunity to come to Columbus because it is a good organization with good people and this is a team that I think I can help improve,” said Bowness. “I’m thankful to Don and (Blue Jackets President) Mike Priest and I’m really excited to work with our players and coaching staff to help get us where we want to go.”
Bowness' son Ryan spent three years as assistant/associate GM in Ottawa but mutually parted ways with the club last May.
Rick will debut with the Blue Jackets when they host the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. The Senators will play in Columbus on January 20th.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News - Ottawa