Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness returned to the team Friday following a month-long leave of absence, the club announced. Bowness’ leave came after his wife, Judy Bowness, suffered a seizure on Oct. 22.
BREAKING NEWS: Bones is back 🤩 pic.twitter.com/6VniI20TSX
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) November 24, 2023
Associate coach Scott Arniel served as the Jets’ interim coach. Winnipeg was off to a 2-3-0 start in Bowness’ second season at the helm before he stepped away, and is now 11-5-2 — third in the Central Division.
Winnipeg plays the Florida Panthers on Friday. Last season, the Jets were 46-33-3 and fell in the first round of the playoffs to the Stanley Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights.
What this means for Rick Bowness
First and foremost, this news is a positive indication regarding Judy Bowness’ health.
On the ice, it means Bowness can return to a Jets team that’s been playing the sustainable, high-quality brand of hockey that Bowness hoped it could get to when he was hired in 2022. The Jets forecheck hard, backcheck hard and protect the middle of the ice better than almost anybody in the league, particularly after long stretches of in-zone play. The days of no “pushback” are long gone; Winnipeg is a handful to play against and Bowness is a big part of building…
