Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness watches his team play against the Calgary Flames during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — It didn't take much time for Rick Bowness to show that he was rested and ready to return behind an NHL bench.

Bowness completed a whirlwind 36 hours by leading the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. He accepted the job Monday afternoon and got to Columbus in time to lead Tuesday morning's game day skate.

“The coach's job is to give them the structure and the details. Their job is to come in and compete. And my eyes told me tonight we competed very hard,” Bowness said. "Now are there areas that we have to improve? Absolutely. But if you don’t improve those areas until you get to compete, so that’s what I was happy with."

Bowness had retired in the spring of 2024, ending a two-year stint with the Winnipeg Jets. Bowness explained before Tuesday's game that he stepped down because of health issues he and his wife, Judy, were experiencing.

Bowness was on his boat in Florida when he received a call from President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell on Monday afternoon.

The 70-year-old hockey-lifer has coached both iterations of the Jets, as well as Boston, Ottawa, the New York Islanders, Phoenix and Dallas. He took over the Stars during the 2019-20 season and led them to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2020 pandemic bubble.

Even though Bowness becomes the league’s oldest head coach and turns 71 on Jan. 25, he says he is ready and rested for another opportunity.

The only thing that might need help is his voice since he sounded a little hoarse after the game.

“I just love it. That’s why I came back. The one thing I missed was the interaction with the players. I loved that part of coaching, working with the players and talking to players and help them get better,” he said.

Bowness replaces Dean Evason, who was in his second year and became the first NHL coach fired this season. Assistant coach Steve McCarthy was also fired.

With Tuesday's win over Calgary, Columbus (20-19-7) is tied with Ottawa for next-to-last in the East with 47 points. The Blue Jackets are five points out of a playoff spot with 11 games until the Olympic break.

Last season, the Blue Jackets were the feel-good story, coming within two points of the final playoff spot after the death of star forward Johnny Gaudreau in August 2024. During that emotional year, Evason was a Coach of the Year candidate as he guided the team to a 23-point improvement.

Team captain Boone Jenner, who had the go-ahead goal with 1:34 remaining, also had an assist and got into a fight in the second period, giving him the Gordie Howe hat trick.

“It’s a new voice, different chatter on the bench. I think we just wanted to home in with some details, and I just like our energy on the bench,” Jenner said. “We obviously stuck to most of our system. There’s a few tweaks here and there and I’m sure there’ll be a couple more moving forward, but tonight was more of the compete and the details.”

Bowness is the 14th coach in Columbus’ 25 seasons. He will try to get the Blue Jackets into the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20.

Waddell cited blowing a three-goal lead in a 5-4 overtime loss to Pittsburgh on Jan. 4 and a subsequent 1-3 road trip as reasons why he felt a change was needed.

“I have all the respect in the world for Dean and Steve. I think last year they did a tremendous job in very difficult situations, but again, I think our expectations this year were higher than what we’re achieving right now,” Waddell said. “I talked to some of the younger players and some of the leaders. They weren’t, by any means, bashing the coach, but I could tell they were frustrated with how things were going. So it all came to a point over the weekend.”

Besides eliminating poor third periods, Bowness cited other defensive factors, including limiting odd-man rushes and shooting chances in the slot. Columbus also has the fourth-worst penalty-killing unit in the league and gave up three goals while being a skater down on Tuesday.

“You don’t score your way into the playoffs. This isn’t the ’80s, man,” he said. “I’m going to say whatever has to be done. I’m not a 30-year-old coach worrying about my career. I’m at the end of my career. Anybody who’s worried about next year is taking the wrong approach on this whole thing.”

Sean Monahan, who played for Bowness in Winnipeg in 2023-24, said he was surprised by the move but that Bowness can bring structure to the team while being heavy on details.

“He can be hard on guys. He’s vocal. He’s fun to play for because he’s motivated to be out there to coach to get the two points every night, and I think he’s been through it all,” Monahan said. “He’s done it a long time, and he’s had a lot of success at it. So, you’ve got a lot of respect for a guy like that.”

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