\u201cWe’re all big fans of Bones. We let the team down, the organization and the fans down by not being in the playoffs, but Rick\u00a0Bowness is not the issue at all. He’s going to be part of the solution here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bowness had questioned his players’ lack of caring after their season ended Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019m back but if I\u2019m back, I\u2019m changing this culture,\u201d he said then. \u201cThese guys, they don\u2019t care. Losing is not important enough to them. It doesn\u2019t bother them. How can you go out and play like that? I should have done this about a month ago. But this is why we are where we are. This is why we\u2019re out of the playoffs, that kind of effort.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though the 13 players interviewed Wednesday and Thursday disagreed with those words, they were on board with\u00a0Bowness returning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just love the passion and energy that he brings every day, the communication with everyone,\u201d forward\u00a0Mathieu Olivier<\/a> said Thursday. \u201cIt’s been really good to have him around and been working with him and we’ve started to build a really good relationship with him and the coaching staff and everyone here.\u201d<\/p>\n Bowness was 21-11-5 for the Blue Jackets this season to run his NHL career coaching totals to 331-419-42 with 48 ties in in 840 games for the Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and Blue Jackets. He retired for personal reasons as Winnipeg coach following the 2023-24 season.<\/p>\n His 2,763 games as a coach (including interim) or an assistant are the most in NHL history.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he’s done a lot of great things for our team, our locker room, our systems,\u201d Blue Jackets center\u00a0Adam Fantilli<\/a>\u00a0said. \u201cHe’s done a lot for me. I appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n Bowness was pulled from his retirement boat in Florida, as he likes to say, to replace Dean Evason on Jan. 12, with Columbus last in the Eastern Conference and 28th in the NHL at 19-19-7.<\/p>\n At the time, Waddell said Bowness was hired only through the end of this season and his future would be decided at its conclusion.<\/p>\n The Blue Jackets then went 19-3-4 in their next 26 games to move into second place in the Metropolitan Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n