The Winnipeg Jets announced that head coach Rick Bowness will be taking a leave of absence after his wife, Judy Bowness, suffered a seizure on Sunday night.
The Jets released the following statement on Monday:
“Sunday evening, Judy Bowness, wife of Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness suffered a seizure and is currently in hospital undergoing further testing. As a result, Rick is taking a leave of absence from the hockey club. Associate coach Scott Arniel is serving as the interim head coach until Rick returns to the team. We ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy at this time.“
Bowness, 68, currently has no time table for returning to the team. In the meantime, associate coach Scott Arniel will be serving as the interim head coach. Arniel is currently in his second season with the Jets in the associate coach role, with head coaching experience in the NHL from 2010 to 2012 with the Columbus Blue Jackets, going 45-60-18 in 123 games over two seasons. He’s also served as an associate and assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers and Washington Capitals.
Bowness is currently in his second season as the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, with the team going 46-33-3 in his first season and making the playoffs before they lost in the first round to the Vegas Golden Knights. He joined the team after stepping away from a head coaching role with the Dallas Stars, which he held for parts of three seasons. He has also been the head coach for the original Jets franchise, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders and Phoenix Coyotes, and is the only coach to have been in the role in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.
The Jets have started the season on decent footing, going 2-3-0 in their first five games and finding themselves in seventh in the Central Division. Their next game is against the St. Louis Blues during Tuesday’s 32-team, 16-game night with staggered start times, with that game starting at 8:45 p.m. EST.
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