Bowness, who helped the Dallas Stars reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020, is the longest-tenured coach in league history with 2,726 games.
At 69, Bowness is the NHL’s oldest head coach and a first-time Jack Adams Coach of the Year nominee, leading the Jets to a club-record 52 wins and their second straight Stanley Cup appearance, losing to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. “.
Since 1984, Bowness has been a coach of NHL teams in various capacities. Along with Hockey Hall of Famers Scotty Bowman and Pat Quinn, he is one of only three coaches to have coached in five decades.
It’s not yet clear whether associate coach Scott Arniel, who managed several games this season when Bones was out for personal reasons, will be considered as a potential successor.
Bowness took over midseason clubs multiple times, coaching the original Winnipeg Jets, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes and, in late 2019, the Stars. He has also coached the Boston Bruins and the Ottawa Senators, and worked as an assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning for many years.
