The Columbus Blue Jackets are running it back with Rick Bowness.
Columbus has agreed to a contract extension with the veteran head coach, keeping him behind the bench after a whirlwind second half of the season that saw the Blue Jackets surge into contention before collapsing down the stretch.
The news was first reported by The Athletic's Aaron Portzline and Pierre LeBrun on Thursday morning, and the team made it official later in the day.
Bowness, 71, took over midseason for Dean Evason and quickly stabilized the Blue Jackets. He oversaw one of the most impressive runs of hockey the franchise has seen in years. Columbus went on a tear following the coaching change, vaulting up the standings with a 19-3-4 run to second place in the Metropolitan Division.
But the season ended in familiar fashion.
A late collapse — including a 3-9-1 finish and a six-game home losing streak to close the year — ultimately cost the Blue Jackets a playoff spot, extending their postseason drought to six seasons.
Bowness didn’t mince words afterward.
“If I’m back, we’re changing this freakin’ culture,” he said at the time.
Now, he’ll get that chance.
The extension signals alignment between Bowness and general manager Don Waddell, who has been vocal about the need to reshape the organization’s identity.
“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,” Waddell said. “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.”
When he arrived in Columbus, Waddell said that “losing was acceptable” within the Blue Jackets, something he made clear would not continue under his watch.
Bowness echoed that sentiment even more bluntly at season’s end.
“You have to hate losing,” he said. “I don’t care if it’s a meaningless game. Show up and compete.”
Those comments weren’t isolated. They echoed the frustrations voiced by players, pointing to a broader issue that has lingered within the franchise. But the team's veterans have made it clear they wanted Bowness back as their head coach.
"(Bowness is) the best coach I've ever personally had," said defenseman Damon Severson. "We let the team down, the organization, and the fans down by not being in the playoffs, but Rick Bowness is not the issue at all. He's going to be part of the solution here."
That likely has ripple effects across the roster this offseason, particularly for players who struggled to meet those standards during the stretch run.
Bowness made it clear he noticed.
“Everything is good as long as it’s going our way,” he said. “And now that it gets tough, no one wants to battle back.”
The Blue Jackets have talent. That much was obvious during their midseason surge. What they haven’t had — at least not consistently — is the edge required to sustain it.
Bowness is being brought back to change that.
“I have really enjoyed my time with this organization and absolutely love being part of it and working with these players,” said Bowness. “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."
