Rick Bowness has signed a one-year contract extension to stay on as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“Rick has done an outstanding job since his arrival and it was obvious to all of us that he is the right person to lead our club as head coach,” Blue Jackets president of hockey operations and general manager Don Waddell said Thursday. “Rick developed strong relationships with our players who will continue to benefit greatly from his leadership as we look to learn from the hard lessons of this season and work towards our goal of competing for a Stanley Cup.”
Columbus went 21-11-5 under Bowness, who replaced Dean Evason in January, but limped to a 2-7-1 record in their final 10 games as the playoffs slipped out of reach.
The extension comes just two days after Bowness ripped into the Blue Jackets for their performance over the final stretch of the season.
“These guys, they don’t care. Losing is not important enough to them. It doesn’t bother them. How can you go out and play like that? I should have done this a month ago. But this is why we are where we are,” an exasperated Bowness remarked. “This is why we’re out of the playoffs. That kind of effort. You have to hate losing. I don’t care if it’s a meaningless game. I don’t care. Show up and compete.”
Bowness put the Blue Jackets on blast after their season ended with a 2-1 loss on home ice to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets were eliminated from postseason contention on Monday as the Philadelphia Flyers locked up the final spot in the Metropolitan Division.
After coming out of retirement to join the Blue Jackets, Bowness only signed for the remainder of the season, which had left his future with the club unclear.
“Like, I don’t know if I’m back [next season], but if I’m back, I’m changing this culture,” Bowness said Tuesday night.
Further to @Aportzline here, hearing that Rick Bowness has agreed to an extension to stay on as HC of the Blue Jackets. Should be made official at 2 pm ET news conference. https://t.co/mdaFhHqHAy
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) April 16, 2026
Despite the comments, star defenceman Zach Werenski backed the 71-year-old to return as head coach on Wednesday.
“I think guys do hate to lose,” Werenski said. “I think we need to learn how to win, and I definitely think he can help us with that.”
The Blue Jackets last made the playoffs in 2020 and Bowness is their fifth heard coach since that appearance.
“I think right now with how the season ended, everyone has to take a good, hard look in the mirror and see where we can be better,” Werenski added.
Bowness has had a long coaching career in the NHL, spanning 42 years both as an assistant and head coach.
“I have really enjoyed my time with this organization and absolutely love being part of it and working with these players,” said Bowness in a team release Thursday. “We’re all very disappointed by how our season ended and we have a lot of work to do, but we will do what’s necessary to be the type of team we want to be and that our great fans expect us to be. I’m excited about continuing the work we started here, and I appreciate the confidence in me shown by Don, (CBJ President) Mike Priest and our ownership group led by the McConnell family.”
Prior to joining Columbus, he was most recently the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets for two seasons, going 98-47-10 and making the playoffs in 2023 and 2024. He was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award during the 2023-24 campaign and parted ways with the team after the season due to health issues.
Bowness has an all-time head coaching record of 331-418-42 with 48 ties split between the Jets, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars, and Blue Jackets.
The Moncton, N.B., native coached the Stars to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2020, falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.
