Can Rick Bowness replicate Paul Maurice's dramatic turnaround and inject winning mojo into the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets? A coaching career reinvention unfolds.
It's an eerily familiar tale:
Coach parts ways with the Winnipeg Jets.
Coach hints at walking away from hockey and being done with life in the NHL.
Coach takes time to himself away from the game.
Coach hops out of retirement, unexpectedly, to join a different club.
*Coach goes on win back-to-back Stanley Cups*
Photo by James Carey Lauder/USA Today Well, the first four steps are the blue print. The fifth point is just the bonus that former Jets bench boss Paul Maurice was able to enjoy.
Early success in Florida after a tumultuous exit from Winnipeg was the career-changing move for Maurice.
No, he wasn't 70 at the time of his move, and still has over a decade to go before reaching that eighth decade, but Maurice clearly knew things weren't going to finish the way he wanted them to in Winnipeg, and jumped ship before it was too late.
Now, three-and-a-half years later, 70-year-old Rick Bowness has also stepped out of the woodwork to join the Columbus Blue Jackets' roster as head coach after the team announced the firing of Manitoba product Dean Evason on Monday.
Bowness, who has appeared in the most NHL games ever as a coach (2,726) will get another fresh start - this time with a struggling Blue Jackets team that sits last place in the Eastern Conference and 27th overall.
Things have not come easily for Columbus this year. But after missing the postseason last year by just one win, management hopes time will re-tell its story carved out by Maurice and the Panthers.
At the moment, Winnipeg is looking the best it's been in a month. The Jets have won back-to-back games and head coach Scott Arniel has possibly cooled down the temperature of his seat in the locker room.
Will the strong play continue, or will Winnipeg get back to its seemingly consistent losing ways as the busy month of January continues?