Rick Bowness says he's not focused on winning the Stars' full-time head coach position, even as his team has a commanding lead heading towards the Western Conference Final. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Stars interim coach Rick Bowness not concerned with winning full-time job

The Dallas Stars hold a 3-1 series lead over the Colorado Avalanche and are a win away from earning a berth in the Western Conference Final, thanks largely to interim coach Rick Bowness.

Bowness told reporters on Monday that he isn't concentrating on winning the job as his club pursues Stanley Cup glory.

"[General manager] Jim Nill and I have an agreement," Bowness explained, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

"We'll talk about it at the end of the year, and that's all that matters. I haven't even given that any thought. There's no time for that. I tell our players [that] we stay in the moment. I want our coaches to stay in the moment as well.

"When they asked me to finish the season, that was the agreement we had right then. We'll talk about the future after the season. That's what we'll do."

Dallas appointed Bowness interim head coach on Dec. 10 after the club parted ways with Jim Montgomery because of "unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs of the Dallas Stars and the National Hockey League." Montgomery addressed the dismissal in January:

Bowness turned 65 years in January and is currently the oldest coach in the NHL.

Dallas eliminated the Calgary Flames in the opening round of the postseason tournament. 

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