Blue Jackets fire Evason, name Bowness coach — The Fourth Period
The Columbus Blue Jackets have fired head coach Dean Evason and assistant coach Steve McCarthy, and have named Rick Bowness the club’s head coach.
“This season has been a frustrating one for all of us and the bottom line is we are not performing at a level that meets our expectations. We all share in that responsibility, me included, and while this was not a decision that was made lightly, it is one that needed to be made at this time,” said Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell. “Dean did a tremendous job last year under extremely difficult circumstances and I thank him for that. I also want to thank Steve for his commitment to our club over the past five years.”
Bowness, 70, most recently served as the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets from 2022-24, leading the club to a 98-57-9 record (.625 pct.) in 164 games and back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He spent the previous two-plus seasons with the Dallas Stars, compiling an 89-62-25 record (.577) in 176 games from 2019-22. After being named interim head coach in December 2019, he led the club to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost a six-game series to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In his final season in Dallas, he led the Stars to a 46-30-6 mark in 2021-22.
“Rick Bowness is a tremendous coach with invaluable experience and knowledge, and he will bring a steadiness to our team at an important juncture in our season,” said Waddell. “He is a good communicator whose teams play with structure, are sound defensively and we believe he is the right person to bring out the best in our group.”
The Moncton, New Brunswick native has compiled a 310-408-48-37 record (W-L-T-OT) in 803 games as an NHL head coach or interim head coach with the Jets, Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins.
“I appreciate the opportunity to come to Columbus because it is a good organization with good people and this is a team that I think I can help improve,” said Bowness. “I’m thankful to Don and (Blue Jackets President) Mike Priest and I’m really excited to work with our players and coaching staff to help get us where we want to go.”
Evason, 61, led the Blue Jackets to a 59-52-16 record in 127 games behind the bench since joining the club on July 22, 2024.
In 378 games as an NHL head coach, he has compiled 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 previous five seasons as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Monsters, the club’s AHL affiliate.
