Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness wanted to galvanize his players by declaring that their performance against the Vegas Golden Knights in the recent playoffs was “disgusting.”
He said this during his appearance on the “Bob McCown Podcast.”
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“Sometimes part of the job is to draw a line in the sand. When you do that, there are usually a few people who get shaken up. That’s right. My goal was to wake them up and make them think,” Bowness said.
In the 2022-2023 season, the 68-year-old’s first season on the Jets’ bench, the Manitoba club had a record of 46-33-3 and finished fourth in the Central Division. Winnipeg then lost to the Golden Knights in five games in the first round of the playoffs.
The Scheifele and Hellebuyck falls
Bowness also discussed the cases of forward Mark Scheifele and goalie Connor Hellebuyck. The two hockey players are playing the final year of their contracts between 2023 and 2024 and are at the center of transaction rumors.
“They’re guys with character and I don’t think they’re going to let that distract them,” Bowness said. Hopefully things will be sorted out with them, they will sign new contracts and they will stay here for longer than just another year.”
The Jets’ last summer was also marked by a major trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings. In return, Gabe Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari came to Winnipeg.
The Quebecer made no secret of the fact that he no longer wanted to work for the Canadian club.
“The most important thing is that all three want to be here,” Bowness said. We heard too many people saying they didn’t want to be here anymore. When I called the newcomers after the trade, all three told me they were excited to come to Winnipeg and wanted to be Jets.