Confirmed with Link: Jets Hire Rick Bowness as the next head coach, Arniel Associate, Assistants Brad Lauer, Marty Johnston

[Mortimer Snerd]

I'm still looking for someplace official.

Nothing on the Jets site.

 

[Guardian17]

 

[Rheged]

This hire seems like an overreaction to the Jets defensive issues. But with Helly in net and a nice group of talented forwards up front, dull Bowness will be a step up from Lowry (faint praise, I know).

Heinola should be afraid though. He will not be played to his strengths (if played at all).

Yes I fear this does not bode well for young Ville.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I am hopeful that this is an interim thing where he retires after 1 year and the Jets hire Barry Trotz.

Really seriously faint hope, but WTH, if its all we've got .........

 

[objectiveposter]

so from what im gathering bowness will be similar to maurice and allow vets like wheeler and scheif to control the room and the young players will be on a tight leash..... but unlike maurice, bowness will emphasize a more defensive game.
If you are in fantasy hockey I would sell jets forwards and try to pick up helle.

 

[Scheifele55]

The problem with the public chasing of Trotz was that now everyone—inside and outside the organization—knows Bowness is second choice.

This feels uninspired but I think anyone was going to after thinking we had Trotz. I won’t judge til I see what he does, but I’m finding it hard to get too excited.

The reality is Trotz was the first choice of almost every team looking for a coach. Barry Trotz was the cream of the crop and we almost had him. Next year Rick Bowness may request to step down to be Barry's assistant.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

Stars broadcaster: "Just looking down at the Dallas bench, and the players seem to be having some equipment issues with their pants".

 

[GeorgeJETson]

 

[AKAChip]

His team went farther than Trotz's in 2020, last year he managed to get the Stars into the playoffs, when it looked like Vegas would find a way. And the Jets couldn't. I think True North for all the shit they get, whether rightly or not, probably feel like they have someone experienced enough who can manage personalities, and get this team back to the playoffs.

I don't know why every move this team makes is a crisis...First no one picks Winnipeg first. If you are here it's because you were born here, that's your excuse. Or it was better than a war or poverty stricken country to live in. If you come back it's because you know someone here.

Well there’s a few arguments to be made here. For starters, I would argue that it is not within the best interest of the Jets to attempt to sneak into the playoffs. There is essentially nothing about this roster that suggests they can be a cup contender with this core. The half measures of trading a few pieces and keeping a few pieces, combined with a coaching hire who will at best get the Jets into the 7/8 spot in the conference does far more long term harm than good.

Adding to the fact that Bowness, while a decent defensive coach, is as tough on young guys as Maurice was, makes this more of the same old stuff that that we’ve been seeing from this organization for years now.

And of course, maybe I and many others are wrong about this, that’s the beauty of professional sports. It’s just that this screams like another classic half measure from a org that loves them.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Another lob for the optics. If the room is fractured and dysfunctional, bring in someone to command respect and experience. You don't go with somebody new who might be good. I'm hating this off season more and more.

I would rather have moved the problem(s) in the room and gone with a more promising coach, maybe someone young enough to be Bowness's son (or daughter?).

 

[Scheifele55]

He coached the Jets back in the late 80’s albeit a short one.

I mean he’s a good assistant coach, he works well with the defense…but head coach? It is what it is..

THink of it this way. Do you want a coach who isn't as good as Trotz who is stuck here for a number of years or do you want a Rick Bowness who you stated works well with defense (our glaring weakness) and can transition back to an assistant next year if the defense improves and at 68 years old enjoy being an assistant again. For all we know the Jets offered him a 1 year deal as head coach with a possible extension if Trotz decides next year not to come here or an extension as an assistant coach if things work out, he had no other options and decided to help out the city that gave him his first coaching opportunity as a 27 year old. It is best we remain optimistic that next year Barry Trotz wil lcome here.

 

[macmaroon]

We have a new head coach and it's not even Tuesday... What gives...

 

[Weezeric]

Great, last thing this team needs is a dinosaur coach who won't play or trust young players...

Whatever, I'm so apathetic about this team at this point. Any excitement I had for next season has completely been extinguished.

Yes, the stars were led by noted old players Heiskanen, Robertson and Hintz…

 

[Tasteless Beaver]

Maurice underachieved with a great roster.
Bowness overachieved with a shit roster. Seriously, Dallas had one good forward line, and it got them to the playoffs.
Tocchet would have been a disaster.

This is a transition move, it gives the team time to decide where they're going. It allows us to find out what this team is capable of when we actually play defense, since that was our biggest issue by far. We can decide whether we keep the core, or start selling pieces off if we can't win. And it won't be a long-term engagement (thank goodness). I'm willing to be slightly optimistic about this.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

His team went farther than Trotz's in 2020, last year he managed to get the Stars into the playoffs, when it looked like Vegas would find a way. And the Jets couldn't. I think True North for all the shit they get, whether rightly or not, probably feel like they have someone experienced enough who can manage personalities, and get this team back to the playoffs.

I don't know why every move this team makes is a crisis...First no one picks Winnipeg first. If you are here it's because you were born here, that's your excuse. Or it was better than a war or poverty stricken country to live in. If you come back it's because you know someone here.

And yet the 4th most experienced coach in NHL history couldn't manage the personalities.
Not sure experience is what is needed.

 

[gojetsgo]

wasn't it stated after he didn't get renewed by dallas that he wanted to become an assistant, this doesn't seem like it's a long term move

 

[Jet]

Can you expand on why it’s such a bad hire?

Because every team who doesn't win the Stanley cups fans hate their coach

 

[DannyGallivan]

blaming urban decay of bowness is a bit of a stretch

No, I just lumped all the negativity together. It’s more efficient that way.

 

[objectiveposter]

Maurice underachieved with a great roster.
Bowness overachieved with a shit roster. Seriously, Dallas had one good forward line, and it got them to the playoffs.
Tocchet would have been a disaster.

This is a transition move, it gives the team time to decide where they're going. It allows us to find out what this team is capable of when we actually play defense, since that was our biggest issue by far. We can decide whether we keep the core, or start selling pieces off if we can't win. And it won't be a long-term engagement (thank goodness). I'm willing to be slightly optimistic about this.

lowry was supposed to be the transition coach... this organization is beyond indecisive... they only make tough decisions when they are forced to... thats not a recipe of championship organizations

 

[CorgisPer60]

I would rather have moved the problem(s) in the room and gone with a more promising coach, maybe someone young enough to be Bowness's son (or daughter?).

Yep, but that's scary. You never know what you're going to get if you step out of your comfort zone. No. Better to bring in a f***ing retread with experience because you can't get your head out of your ass long enough to see that the NHL coaching carousel is seriously behind the times.

 

[Ducky10]

This team is so lost.

 

[gojetsgo]

lowry was supposed to be the transition coach... this organization is beyond indecisive... they only make tough decisions when they are forced to... thats not a recipe of championship organizations

lowry was suppose to an assistant coach who became a stop gap after maurice quit

 

[Jet]

We'll at least find out if the lack of defence was because of the players or Maurice.

The Jets biggest issue was their defensive play. We know this team can score. Maybe this is just the thing we need.

Not saying I'm delighted by the hire but I'm interested to see what happens.

Now on to our roster changes...

 

[jamiebez]

I think this hire makes a lot of sense.

What's been the biggest problem for the Jets on the ice? Their defense and their PK. These are the areas where he's had the biggest impact.

What's been the biggest problem off the ice? A veteran core that is dividing the room. So you need a veteran coach to deal with that.

I think of Bowness as the guy who transitioned from the Benn/Seguin/Klingberg core to the Robertson/Hintz/Heiskanen core without missing a beat. Seems like that's exactly what we need in the next two years or so.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Some absolutely brutal hires this offseason.