The Columbus Blue Jackets have relieved head coach Dean Evason and assistant coach Steve McCarthy of their duties with the club and hired veteran National Hockey League coach Rick Bowness as the club’s head coach, Director of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell announced today.
“This has been a frustrating season for all of us and the bottom line is that we have not performed at the level expected of us. We all share responsibility for that, myself included, and this was not a decision taken lightly, but it was a decision that needed to be made at this time,” Waddell said. “Dean did a fantastic job under very difficult circumstances last year and I would like to thank him for that. I would also like to thank Steve for his contribution to the club over the past five years.”
Bowness, 70, most recently served as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets from 2022 to 2024, leading the club to a 98-57-9 record (0.625%) in 164 games and consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He spent the previous two-plus seasons with the Dallas Stars, compiling an 89-62-25 (.577) record in 176 games from 2019-2022. After being named interim head coach in December 2019, he led the club to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost six straight to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In his final season in Dallas, 2021-22, he led the Stars to a 46-30-6 record.
“Rick Bowness is a great coach with valuable experience and knowledge who will bring stability to our team at a key juncture in the season,” Waddell said. “He has excellent communication skills, his team plays structured and defends solidly, and we believe he is the right person to bring out the best in the group.”
The Moncton, New Brunswick, native has worked as an NHL head coach or interim head coach with the Jets, Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Bos. He played in 803 games with the Bruins, compiling a record of 310 wins, 408 losses, and 48 minutes, 37 seconds (WLT-OT), including a record of 187 wins, 119 losses, and 0 minutes, 34 seconds in 340 games from 2019 to 2024. He began his coaching career as a player-coach with the Sherbrooke Jets of the American Hockey League from 1982 to 1983, and joined Winnipeg as an assistant coach from 1984 to 1987. He was the head coach of the AHL’s Moncton Hawks from 1987 to 1991, and served as Winnipeg’s interim head coach for 28 games during the 1988-1989 season.
He spent the 1991-92 season as the head coach of the Bruins, leading the club to a 36-32-12 record and a playoff berth before being named head coach of the expansion Senators in 1992. He led the Islanders for over three seasons before joining the Islanders as an associate coach in 1996. He was named head coach during that campaign and remained in that position until the 1997-98 season. He then spent six years with the Coyotes from 1999 to 2006, including a stint as interim head coach from 2003 to 2004. He then spent 15 seasons on the coaching staffs of the Vancouver Canucks (2006-13), Lightning (2013-18) and Stars (2018-19).
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to come to Columbus because it’s a good organization with good talent and a team I think I can help improve,” Bowness said. “I’m grateful to Don and (Blue Jackets president) Mike Priest, and I’m really looking forward to working with the players and coaching staff to get us where we want to be.”
Bowness, a forward, was selected by the Atlanta Flames in the second round, 26th overall, in the 1975 NHL Draft. He played professionally for nine seasons from 1975 to 1984, appearing in 173 career NHL games with the Atlanta Flames, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, and Jets from 1975 to 1981, scoring 55 points with 18 goals, 37 assists, and 191 penalty minutes.
Evason, 61, joined the Blue Jackets on July 22, 2024 and has led the Blue Jackets to a 59-52-16 record in 127 games off the bench. Columbus posted a 40-33-9 record a season ago and currently sits in eighth place in the Metropolitan Division with a 19-19-7 record. He played in 378 games as an NHL head coach, compiling a record of 206-129-43 with the Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild.
McCarthy joined the Blue Jackets as an assistant coach in September 2021 after spending the past five seasons as an assistant coach with the club’s AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. Prior to his coaching career, McCarthy played 18 seasons professionally as a defenseman, including the 2015-16 season when he helped the Monsters win the AHL’s Calder Cup.
The Blue Jackets return to action on Tuesday when they host the Calgary Flames. Game time at Nationwide Arena is 7:00 PM ET and will be broadcast live on the FanDuel Sports Network starting with Blue Jackets Live at 6:30 PM ET. The game can also be heard on the Blue Jackets Radio Network, including 97.1 The Fan in Columbus, and online at BlueJackets.com.