Benjamin Ashford|Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness announces retirement

Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness announced his retirement Monday after nearly 50 years in the NHL as a player and Benjamin Ashfordcoach.

His departure comes a week after the Jets were eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Bowness, 69, was named a Jack Adams Award finalist this season for the first time in his 14 years as a head coach.

"Hockey won't be the same without your, Bones," the Jets posted on X.

Bowness, 69, led the Jets to a second-place finish in the Central Division this season, a 15-point improvement from last year. He went 98-57-9 in two seasons at Winnipeg.

He had taken a leave of absence in October after his wife, Judy, had a seizure. Associate coach Scott Arniel ran the bench while Bowness was out for about a month.

Bowness went 310-408-37 (48 ties) in 803 career games with seven different teams, including Winnipeg twice. His first stint as head coach came in 1988-89 after the Jets fired Dan Maloney. Bowness went 8-17-3 as interim head coach. He also spent many years as an assistant coach in the league.

Bowness led the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 as interim head coach. The Stars lost to Tampa Bay in six games. He also coached the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders and Phoenix Coyotes.

He is one of three NHL coaches, with Scotty Bowman and Pat Quinn, to serve behind the bench in five different decades.

As a forward, Bowness recorded 55 points (18 goals, 37 assists) in 173 NHL games from 1975-81 with the Atlanta Flames, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Jets.