'I would have done the same thing:' Bowness OK with being Jets' second choice
Rick Bowness doesn't mind being the second choice.
The new Winnipeg Jets head coach took part in his first press conference Monday, a little more than a week after first target Barry Trotz declined the team's offer because the veteran wanted to spend more time with his family.
"If I'm in his chair, I'm going after Trotzy. I am. It's that simple," Bowness said with a laugh, referring to Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff sitting beside him.
"Trotzy is the perfect guy for this, I get that. With his resume, I would have done the same thing Chevy did. I got a nice text from Trotzy a couple days ago. It didn't work out and that's fine. So do I feel bad about second choice? Absolutely not. I would have done the same thing. He would have been my first choice."
Cheveldayoff said his pivot to Bowness was made quickly.
"Barry made the decision to take care of his family, which is an admirable one," Cheveldayoff said. "When that decision became apparent, I immediately turned my attention over to reaching out to Rick and seeing if there was some synergy there and some opportunity."
Bowness stepped down as head coach of the Dallas Stars after the season. He guided the Stars to an 89-62-25 record in 176 regular-season games over almost three seasons, and an 18-16 mark in the playoffs.
Dallas lost in overtime in Game 7 to Calgary in the first round of this year's playoffs. It reached the 2020 Stanley Cup final in the playoff bubble in Edmonton and lost to Tampa Bay.
Bowness, a 67-year-old native of Moncton, N.B., who signed a two-year contract Sunday, is the Jets' eighth head coach in franchise history and third since the club's relocation to Winnipeg from Atlanta in 2011.
Bowness said former Jets player Scott Arniel, an assistant with the Washington Capitals this year, has been hired as associate coach.
The Jets were looking for a bench boss with connections to the team and Bowness has that.
The former right wing ended his 173-game NHL playing career with Winnipeg in the 1982 playoffs. He also began his head coaching career with the Jets in 1988-89, when he ran the bench for the team's last 28 games. He has an 211-351-76 record as an NHL head coach over parts of 12 seasons.
He'll have a lot on his plate with the underachieving Jets, who didn't reach the playoffs this year for the seventh time since the club moved to Winnipeg.
Many players also expressed frustration about the season, which included Paul Maurice unexpectedly resigning last December. The club finished with interim head coach Dave Lowry and went 39-32-11.
"There was something missing there," Bowness said of the Jets last season. "I'm not getting into it because I wasn't here. It just got derailed a little bit.
"But if you go back and you look at the roster, how competitive they were for a while, it's there. We just have to work together, all of us, players included, to get it back."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
BREAKING Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are moving on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.