“(General manager) Jim [Nill] was very easy to work with. He wanted me back, I wanted to come back,” Bowness said. “It wasn’t that difficult a decision, so the negotiations were very easy. Jim and (Stars owner) Tom [Gaglardi] were great. The term is not a big issue. I still love the game, I still have lots of energy and passion for the game, and that’s going to continue for a while longer. We’re not ready to go yet.
“That time in Edmonton (the Western Conference hub city for the postseason) was unlike any experience I have ever had in hockey, and it brought us together as a staff and as a team. We had a great run to the Stanley Cup Final, but we have some unfinished business left and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to build on what we started.
Bowness was promoted after Jim Montgomery was fired Dec. 10, 2019, for unprofessional conduct. The Stars were 20-13-5 in 38 games under Bowness and advanced to the Cup Final, when they lost the best-of-7 series to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.
“Rick now has his fingerprints on the team, he knows how he wants to play a certain way, he knows the adjustments he can make, and the players understand that now,” Nill said. “I just think, as we move forward here, there’s still going to be a lot of uncertainty. And that’s one thing we talked about in the bubble, that every day there’s going to be stuff thrown at us, we can’t dwell on it, we can’t panic on it, we just roll with the punches.
“We face some uncertainty moving forward here. When do we start? How long’s the season? What’s the format going to be? How many games are you playing in a week? So knowing you have somebody in charge, the players know he’s in charge, they respect him, he respects them, he knows what buttons to push, I think that’s very important.”
Bowness was hired as a Stars assistant June 22, 2018, after five seasons as associate coach of the Lightning. The 65-year-old is 143-302-8 with 48 ties as an NHL coach for the Winnipeg Jets (1988-89), Boston Bruins (1991-92), Ottawa Senators (1992-96), New York Islanders (1996-98), Phoenix Coyotes (2003-04) and Stars.
“Probably around January we started to feel more comfortable and I thought, ‘I want to keep doing this,”’ Bowness said. “But it goes to another level in the playoffs, and once the playoffs started there was no doubt in my mind I wanted to keep doing this. There came a point where I didn’t want someone else to come in here and take this seat over. This is a tough league to win in, as you know. I couldn’t give you an exact date, but sometime around January, I wasn’t going to let this team go. Again, it took another level once we got to the playoffs. I’m just thrilled for the opportunity.”
Bowness, who has been an NHL coach for five decades, played 173 NHL games in six seasons from 1975-81 with the Atlanta Flames, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Jets.
“Rick knows how to balance things,” Nill said. “He’s got the passion, he’s willing to call a player out, he’s willing to talk to me about some situation, but they’re healthy discussions and there’s a respect there. Anyone who knows Rick Bowness, they know the respect. It’s communication with respect, and he’s got that through the organization. That goes with experience, that goes with who he is, the person on and off the ice, his family life, those things, they just don’t happen. that’s what’s made him successful.”
NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers contributed to this report
