Former Senators head coach blasts current team in heated post-game press conference

It's not every day that you hear a coach blast their team after game 82. However, last night the former Ottawa Senators head coach Rick Bowness did.

Bowness is the current head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and for most of his short time with the club, they were one of the league's best. Over the last 11 games, they struggled with a 2-8-1 and, as a result, missed the playoffs. In what fans are calling the most disappointing season in franchise history.

After the game against the Washington Capitals, which was a loss. Bowness took to the mic during his post-game press conference and didn't mix words. He was just about as honest as a head coach could be. It was reminiscent of his press conference after the Winnipeg Jets were eliminated from the playoffs back in 2023.

Here's what he said:

"“These guys, they don’t care. Losing is not important enough to them. It doesn’t bother them. How can you go out and play like that? I should have done this a month ago. But this is why we are where we are. This is why we’re out of the playoffs. That kind of effort. You have to hate losing. I don’t care if it’s a meaningless game. I don’t care. Show up and compete.”"

Rick Bowness

He would later go on to add something that caught everyone's attention in the hockey world.

"“Like, I don’t know if I’m back [next season], but if I’m back, I’m changing this culture,” he said."

Rick Bowness

This was classic Bowness, a straight-shooting head coach who has an old-school mentality. Unfortunately, he was only brought in as an interim head coach and may not be back behind a bench again. But if he is, expect more of this kind of stuff from him.

Bowness, 71, was the first head coach in Senators' history back in their expansion year of 1992-93. He went on to coach the club for four seasons. Which is his longest tenure with any club that he has coached over his five-decade career.

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