Jets Head Coach Rick Bowness Rips Into His Team Following Playoff Elimination: 'We Had No Pushback'

Winnipeg Jets head coach ripped into his team following their 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in a minute-long tirade before walking out of the press conference.
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[@MMoses87]

Greatest post game press conference after a loss in NHL history.

[@evanbrad7327]

Tort's ones are still shorter, but I gotta give this guy props

[@heliumtrophy]

It's up there - maybe not at the top but it's close.

[@36inc]

Torts has better and im totally on ricks side here bet he wanted it done as fast as that

[@Nall412]

Oh man!!! This is definitely up there with some all time greats!! Love it!

[@css7059]

turned the game off, a sad game :(

[@user-nt4mo2op3r]

I respect his passion. He’s not wrong.

[@NoLoveLostRecords]

Fuelled by passion.

[@robinpenner4291]

Also fuelled by respect for the game. I like it

[@Killthesefears]

Yeah, he’s right!

[@PTS328]

I agree. The Jets over in the 2nd half of season and playoffs were the mist unpassionate; unmotivated, undriven, and simply no care team I’ve ever seem. I think there’s a few players that need to be shipped out

[@deansmith6593]

Right or wrong. He threw his team under the bus and took no blame on himself. Part of a head coaches job is to adjust and to motivate your players. Rick along with the players failed miserably.

[@thepolishprince851]

I love when players and coaches are honest, the generic answers get old

[@deansmith6593]

If he were being totally honest he would mention his absolute failure to motivate his players and how HE was out coached.

[@CP-gh9xn]

As a Jets fan he's right on the money. First half of the season we're crushing it on top of the conference, second half start to slip a bit an piss the whole back end of the regular season away and barely squeak into the playoffs. Hope to see some major moves in the offseason.

[@them4309]

Probably because he told the players to push back, instead of giving useful, specific coaching.

[@carterlewis3388]

Poor guy As a coach you can have the best playbook in the world, but if your players don’t all buy into it, ur done

[@deansmith6593]

A big part of a head coaches job is to motivate the players. When you fail in your job you should not throw everyone under the bus to the media. No sympathy. Bowness should retire already.

[@Bentami]

@@deansmith6593 I love the brainless perspectives from the other fanbases that think they know the jets better than the coach and fanbase. This is the SECOND coach to imply this core is uncoachable. PoMo literally resigned MIDSEASON. Name me another major league sports team that had TWO coaches share the same issues in two CONSECUTIVE seasons. The coach "job" only goes so far to "motivate" these quitters. Rebuild or we are done.

[@angiebee2225]

@@bobk.995 The team was doing alright under Monty. Now, they had some of their worst times under him (ye olde 1-7-1 start), but I think he could have done good things if he had stayed sober. I don't think very many fans think poorly of how he was doing when he was fired.

[@mhossein1307]

That knee smack though😂

[@tinotse8964]

Bowness had every right to be pissed off

[@tinotse8964]

@TheVindicator Just Assuming the Jets hasn't stopped thinking about the Paul Maurice Resignation ? What would happen had he remained as the Coach?

[@EndrizziFilmz]

i love this guy. coaching is far from the issue in Winnipeg. the team needs a new GM maybe and a shakeup of its core.

[@pomerlain8924]

And if there aren't proper changes made, I can truly see Bowness choosing to walk away. He put off retirement to take this job. And he's not going to put up with another season like this.

[@Bentami]

@@pomerlain8924 I hope he walks away, not because I dont lkke him but to embarrass TSNE and Chevy. Two resignations in a row? That will reverberate throughout the league and make this organization a jokez

[@288theabe]

Needs to blow up the core. Their softness isn’t a new thing

[@Meemitalo_]

@@Bentami Looks like there's no other option but to relocate to Houston

[@luisbatista1103]

@@Meemitalo_ Or Saskatoon lol

[@pomerlain8924]

Thank you Rick for not pulling any punches. This needs to be said. This team has no pushback, no fight, no pride. Every time they're challenged, they back off. They fall behind early, the game is all but over.

[@snakeeyes9246]

Good thing they don't have pride, or else they're all going to hell. It's the deadliest sin you can commit.

[@deansmith6593]

No motivation. A big part of a head coaches job is to motivate your players.

[@norz72]

​@@deansmith6593no motivation? 😅 are you serious...the motivation is to win playoff games and a cup possibly.. be a professional NHLer. This isn't elementary or high-school, grown ass men don't need motivation. You win the dumbest comment of the month 😂

[@Bentami]

@@deansmith6593 Shut up, you dont dont the jets nuances and issues for the past 5 years.

[@pomerlain8924]

@@deansmith6593 The coach can give all the coaching and motivational speeches but it is up to players buy in and commit to giving their best effort. The coach can't make them play with heart. And considering Paul Maurice stepped down from this team for pretty much the same reasons that Bowness has been pointing out all year, it's not the coach that's the problem. It's the players in the room.

[@Cyballistic]

Dude was pissed and showed his passion but didn’t directly take it out on the media. Respect

[@dontbetonit813]

No respect for his payers though. It will be interesting on how much respect they have for him next year.

[@lincolnmaceachern2410]

The media love him, so he knows he can throw his players under the bus and keep his job.

[@kevinball1262]

Great to see a coach tell it like it is

[@davidgendron6955]

I have never seen something like that just after an elimination.

[@evanbrad7327]

I have, u heard of Torts???

[@davidgendron6955]

Just after an elimination, I don’t remember something like that, even by Torts.

[@marclindsay5945]

Yeah im trying to think, in any sport if a coach went off like that.

[@canadian__kid1592]

This is the happiest man in hockey. To get him like this after 1 season tells me the jets need to sell this core. Pain is coming our way jets fans

[@winnabango]

Is it pain? I feel it’s so needed it’ll be a breath of fresh air. I can’t wait to see Scheifele shipped off. Hopefully we get a good haul

[@Brandon34300]

@@winnabango rebuilds are usually a slow and painful process and Winnipeg is in a terrible position to start a rebuild, it’s going to be even worse than a normal rebuild for them too. Most teams who are beginning to rebuild have been prepping themselves for it years in advance as they usually have aging cores that make it obvious a rebuild will be needed soon. Those extra few years before truly starting the rebuild make the process so much easier and Winnipeg does not have that at all. They’ve been pushing hard and giving up lots of good assets in an attempt to be a “win now” team and just completely abandoning that and going for a rebuild instantly now is going to hurt them and make that process so much harder (I do agree rebuild is still their best call though). Not to mention so many of their top guys have no movement clauses, couple rough contracts, and now with all the locker room drama the value of almost every single jets player is going to drop big time in the eyes of teams trying to make trades with the jets. All in all it’s looking like a really really bad situation for the Jets unfortunately. Sure, maybe they can get extremely lucky and some young guys will have breakout seasons out of nowhere, or maybe they’ll fleece a couple teams in some trades, but I predict a slow and painful rebuild coming over the next few years. Hate to say it but I’m guessing they are basically going to become the new ‘Buffalo sabres’ of the league and are going to have about a decade here of attempting to get the rebuild properly done, with very minimal regular season success throughout and around 0-2 playoff appearances over these next 10 years. I just don’t see how this situation is a positive in any way. A rebuild is what’s needed, but this is not a team set up to make rebuilding easy at all.

[@jleif7736]

@@Brandon34300 True.. The best example of "Doing a rebuild right" is looking at Yzerman and the Red Wings... When that dude starts to see even the slightest bit of "losing" in the season, he sells, and acquires draft capital, in a smart manner.. The Jets were literally buyers at the trade deadline.. They are in such a tough spot right now, if they were to sell off all their studs, and just build around a few guys, man Jets fans will be waiting a very long time before things get better. You guys have the exact same Draft capital as a team who is a cup contender, that's a horrible sign.

[@DaMasterTroll1483]

Comment didn't age well

[@RocketSlime]

​@@DaMasterTroll1483frr

[@byst33]

Oof. As a Stars fan I always liked Bones but was happy when we decided to move on. Disappointing end to the season, but for his sake I hope they can come back next year and find some success.

[@evanbrad7327]

Dude he won't be back...c'mon!

[@AureliusProject]

Looked like the same thing happened in Dallas at points when he was there, any idea why?

[@BornCalm]

@@AureliusProject Bones’ system in Dallas kind of ran its course and the team (and Bowness) realized the Stars needed a new voice. But this tone and severe reprimand of the whole team definitely didn’t happen in his time in Dallas.

[@texan_2ocho965]

Agree 100%. I don’t have any bad words to say about Bones, but I don’t miss him either. Easy to say when Stars are up 3-2 against Minnesota.

[@pancake105]

​@@BornCalmStars aren't going anywhere with deboer either. He coached two stacked pacific teams always outclassed, outcoached in the playoffs.

[@SoundEffectsFactory]

Shots fired

[@hotdogstandman]

cx

[@babyloobibovski2947]

The leadership on this team left with Byfuglien. All the Jets have are a bunch of guys who’d rather be golfing than in the playoffs or they’d rather be playing in another city.

[@ManitobaMike]

Leaders don't quit like Byfuglien did. Byfuglien is a LOSER.

[@kennyg1358]

There are 29+ better NHL cities. Why wouldn't they want out?

[@lumpyrex007]

@@kennyg1358 It takes quite the clown to take millions and grumble about the location. Who the hell plays hockey in California.

[@TheMav41]

Schiefle is quite the golfer I understand.

[@montuckyman4982]

Well, Big buff would rather just be ice fishin and drinkin beer so....

[@Aaronschinaguide]

Looks like it will be hard to keep coaches in Winnipeg with this core.

[@toasty862]

buncha softc.cks. especially schiefele

[@benderbendingrodriguez420]

This core is done lmao

[@norz72]

Well especially when the past coach just ended up leaving saying he had lost the room and stepped down. It's the core of players not giving it their all. Canucks are in that similar situation. Time to sell and retool/build

[@heathflagtvedt5769]

Stars fan here, very familiar with Bones. He doesn't always have the solution, but he's almost never wrong about a diagnosis.

[@TXAray89]

Agreed 100%. He's a very likable coach, but I wasn't mad at all once we got him out of Dallas.

[@heathflagtvedt5769]

@@TXAray89 He made some great adjustments in Dallas. The new D rollout in the bubble cup run was remarkable. But he tends towards too conservative for the modern NHL. Thank God we had him when whatever happened with Monty happened, though. What a season save.

[@ChrisHutton-fw5eg]

Totally agree.

[@codybaley6266]

I agree Rick. What a disheartening end to the season. Looked literally unstoppable for 4 periods to start the series and then fell off a cliff. The injuries suck, sure, but the wind was just gone from their sails as soon as they didn't score a goal on 17 shots on Broissoit in period 1 of game 2. Notice how we scored mostly in middle slot, or scrums in front. Only the occasional top of circle laser wrister. Yet we kept the puck on the perimetre the whole series, every powerplay. Snoozer, and sad. I feel for Helle too man. Some weak goals, but also just screened or a Vegas guy gobbling up an open puck dead centre, free real estate. Disappointed, disgusted. PoMo walked out mid season, Bowness is PISSED. Something is rotten in there.

[@KakashiH25]

Get rid of 55, let Wheeler retire... That would be a good start. Im starting to think Shelf is the issue

[@Tribuneoftheplebs]

55 kind of reminding me of Taylor Hall's career rn. Will probably be well paid for a year or two as a UFA and then end up on a 3rd line somewhere stacked to try to win the Stanley

[@MikeySkywalker]

What's rotten is Jets fans.

[@codybaley6266]

@@MikeySkywalker clown

[@MikeySkywalker]

@@codybaley6266 lol

[@thedrummerdude777]

As a Flames fan, I was rooting for the Jets to win but Bowness is right. My buddy at work is a Jets fan and pretty much said the same thing for the last couple of seasons, "they lose the games that absolutely needed to be won". Better luck next season, boys.

[@clandon9624]

@@AlGrundau1890yeah except one deserves it and the other doesn’t. The Jets have had a similar problem to the flames in terms of major underperforming. Difference is with the Jets it’s the players being unmotivated and with the flames it’s the coaches unwillingness to change his game plan with a strong team. So context matters when looking at when coaches get mad at their teams

[@clandon9624]

@@AlGrundau1890if the kings beat the oilers I’m 100% sure WC would have some choice words for the oilers, right now he has the best team in the league, so he has no reason to be upset. The jets have been slacking for half the year and the flames have been slacking the whole year. Pent up anger that is around a year old is different than a coach with nothing to complain about. I still don’t understand what point your trying to make

[@MrGarrick7]

@Al Grundau The jets had Paul Maurice who was the opposite and they did nothing for him either. No fight, no drive. Enough talent to make it look like it would be a good season and no desire to push through when it got hard.

[@PatrickRoy30]

@Al Grundau you haven’t seen Woodcroft win anything despite having McDavid and Draisaitl.

[@PatrickRoy30]

@Al Grundau glad you consider the Battle of Alberta your Stanley Cup, because you got smoked by the Avalanche.

[@dynamoproductions5]

Cheveldayoff, Schiefele, Wheeler, etc. gotta be sweating bullets.

[@douglasthompson5115]

Chevy excluded the only sweating modern day players do is on the big checks they cash at the bank. Most care about the money. Winning and accountability is secondary.

[@KakashiH25]

💯, get those guys out and we will soar. Schief is a toxic crybaby, wheeler is past his prime, and Chevy... I just never really liked him...

[@ryanlitster8993]

They are all sitting pretty. amazing what guys who get to play a game will never have to work a regular job. Worry financially are set for life with no education. Unbelievable.

[@GVH1305]

Way to go Rick for being honest. Respect you for that.

[@benderbendingrodriguez420]

Thank you rick. Too many people taking this loss lightly. This is most likely the last time we have seen the Jets 2.0 core. If theres not a rebuild next season id be schocked. Just unacceptable stuff. Its already so hard to attract free agents to a Canadien market anyways. Chevy needs to go but Bones needs to stay. Coaching was never the issue. These players just didnt give a damn

[@aidendessler538]

Completely agree. This team lacks energy, passion to win. I don't like blaming specific players as it is a team sport, but more than half of our team didn't play to win. Dubois, Connor to name some. They weren't good after game 1

[@bber45]

Respect to coach Bow. He told it like it was and ripped them a new one. You can tell he cares and has a passion for the game and for his team.

[@Hockeyreview101]

I’m just happy he’s transparent and doesn’t do the same I’m so emotional for this group of guys you hear every day

[@MB57]

Loved him as coach here in Dallas. Taking Jets to playoffs year 1 is an accomplishment for sure.

[@norz72]

​@@AlGrundau1890Vegas is by far a better team, did you look at the standings? You made it seem like WPG had won the division and Vegas snuck into the playoffs..

[@nickhughes8179]

@Al Grundau Edmonton is as dead as Peter Pocklington. Remember the 80s?? Because those are the only cups you'll ever win. Even the Leafs fans laugh at you and your hapless two player team. Toronto 14 cups. Edmonton 4.

[@15battery69]

Hey FACTS on that Rick!! 💯

[@MotoLife94]

Rick is a Great coach!!

[@jerelehtinen1408]

Looking back Now, This was a PIVOTAL moment for the Jets as their offseason began.

[@Ax18NY]

Right on, Rick. A real coach.

[@lincolnmaceachern2410]

Blames everybody but Rick Bowness.

[@michaelaspden9073]

My Leafs need a coach like him.

[@deansmith6593]

A coach that fails to motivate his player, gets out coached, throws them under the bus and takes no blame for his own failings after the series is over?

[@Hats502]

Really appreciate the honesty here, more guys need to do this rather than just give the dry, generic answers. If the guys don’t show up and give zero effort, call them out for it

[@musicman76enator]

What Bowness really meant to say was: "They are who we THOUGHT they were!! And we let em off the hook!!" RIP Dennis GOAT Green.

[@babyloobibovski2947]

Jets need to go forward with nothing but guys who have something to prove in the NHL - young guys and vets with a chip on their shoulders.

[@Mr-Keyes]

He seems very angry

[@louscannon7493]

At least he calls it like he sees it

[@ss396rip]

Florida panthers victory shows that coaching isnt the problem in Winnipeg.

[@marclindsay5945]

Echoing what every Jet fan has been thinking.

[@Dannoga]

Still carrying that Thrasher DNA.

[@Pizzaplease477]

Love it. Big Jets fan here. Hopefully this team gets blown up and rebuilt

[@ace2585]

Loved this. Ironically the coach will probably be the first to go.

[@RBR-lo2ei]

Fire Bowness? Not going to happen. They need to dump the passengers on this team.

[@ace2585]

@@RBR-lo2ei hope you're right. Its easy to make him the scapegoat then nothing changes.

[@editingbasket9728]

Well after this video I'm sure he will find a new job and even a better team if they fire him. and not a lot places worse than coaching the jets.

[@toasty862]

Nah it can't be this time. It's undeniable that its this sh1tty core at fault. He just got here, he took them to first before they stopped trying. Chevy can't pretend it's not his players anymore. That little b.tch schiefele HAS to be gone. This can't go on any longer.

[@angiebee2225]

@@editingbasket9728 Or he'll retire. He's pushing 70, so he's earned it.

[@VivekSharma-tl5ow]

Anyone get a count on the pushback ?

[@pgraybengal]

Love Rick we had him here in Dallas. I always respect his ways of telling the truth he’s not gonna feed people a line of BS just to get attention & I like that & he’s 100% Winnipeg is to talented a group for first round exits imagine if Rick was coaching Minnesota he’d go crazy.

[@mikehunt3451]

His interview was as short as this series ! Love it !

[@wraxle]

Just saying what everyone in Winnipeg is thinking

[@emilymyhre4375]

as a jets fan, i understand where hes coming from. They didnt push back. Next season, i hope for a better start and better finish. Congratulations to Vegas Golden Knights

[@cskvision]

Love the honesty and mild Torts vibes. Well done Rick.

[@Zobin211]

Way to lose your locker room coach. Throw your team under the bus and take zero responsibility. Love it. Meanwhile, look what nice guy Paul Maurice is doing with Florida versus Boston.

[@ansonlau55097]

Respect. Gotta give 200%.

[@Asymmetrical-Saggin]

100% truth and honesty. Anyone who gets mad about this is a fool. Rick just displayed more passion in 90 seconds than the whole team did in 5 games. I was hoping they could pull something off but it was apparent after game 2 that was not happening.

[@jgs988]

Wow! I wonder what the top brass thinks about what Rick stated here. He basically said the team has no heart and pride. Which is true.

[@detangojet]

Sounds more like a shot at the GM.

[@pomerlain8924]

Probably both.

[@detangojet]

@@pomerlain8924 yep

[@MBrauny12]

i blame the gm for failing to supply the team with good personality players and not removing those with bad ones

[@sonnyc3826]

this is probably why the Jets left Winnipeg in the first place

[@mikehuhtala1809]

Spot on, but this problem has plagued the Jet's core since 2018-19.

[@SuperStrik9]

Rick Bowness giving me strong Jim Mora vibes here. 👍

[@GTC528]

He's brutally honest, and that's how you want a coach to be. Wheeler's comments were weak, and showed that Bowness was right. Bruce Boudreau or Tortorella would've said the same thing

[@thomaslatimer571]

I’m a VGK fan But I Absolutely Agree with him.

[@JesusChrist2000BC]

Poor coach. They about pushed this man into a mental breakdown. Players should be ashamed.

[@biglebowski3961]

Classic, always appreciate the truth.

[@leaveit33]

That's the way she goes

[@MapleSyrupPoet]

Good for Rick 🏒

[@francischabot1412]

I have a hard time determining if he was happy or angry anyone can help me with that?

[@MuffinMan30]

Wow that is an ANGRY man

[@CP-012]

So well said. I wish I could get paid millions and not show up for work.

[@matthewschincariol4619]

Jesus. It’s like he was struggling to contain his anger I never knew much about Rick Bowness. But, he instantly got my attention and respect for keeping it simple and to the point. He got this team to the playoffs by performance in the regular season, but he can only do so much I would have loved to see the Jets go far. They were my favourite Canadian team in the playoffs

[@BrettHornby]

John Tortorella would be proud of this coaches conference.

[@BryanVGK23]

Respect to him from a VGK fan. I fully expected a major fight from the jets tonight, and other than the last 10 minutes it was just as he said, no pushback and no fight. If I was on the other side of it I’d want my coach calling it out too

[@omerqazi2017]

Nice conversation.....

[@HakeemUllah-xm7ml]

Beautiful game 🎯🎯

[@mikemallimo9286]

Gotta love his honesty

[@davidselawsky6620]

Total Respect! Holding the players accountable for effort....maybe the Bruins should take note!?

[@SNoCappidona]

This is how I feel as a ranger fan right now

[@ianmackie8959]

I smell major clean out in the peg coming😊

[@PeterSdrolias]

That is the definition of anger.

[@pm-ir6pt]

About damn time someone said something.

[@PsychoticFlubber]

They have PLD on their team, of course there was no pushback. I've seen the guy take a shift without even looking for the puck.

[@schmeltzy]

PLD was terrible last night, barely skating, no pressure, looking lazy, not good. Terrible effort

[@j.danielmorse1876]

PLD was already playing for Montreal last night.

[@kellyknight3754]

He is so right. Management needs to take a hard look at these so-called leaders.

[@pomerlain8924]

The GM also needs to go. The team has playoff series wins in 12 seasons with Cheveldayoff as the GM. That is not good enough. There's a reason fans aren't choosing to renew their season tickets.

[@angiebee2225]

@@pomerlain8924 Did you leave out how many playoff series wins they have? (Edit: you said 3 series wins in another comment. That's pretty bad.)

[@philleotta7201]

No pushback....No pushback.....Playoffs? Playoffs? Are you kidding?

[@db-jk8dl]

Small markets can't complete. The league is structured that way.

[@jonathangarmuth8975]

Hard for teams to compete against low income tax states like Texas and Florida. Small markets have it the worst.

[@SteveBruce-lx3do]

No issues. He’s allowed to have passion. His team’s response ti his comments reveal their character.

[@ashiqbal84]

Very truly said

[@kevinpainters7852]

And everyone thought torterella was to hard on princess pierre in columbus. Smh

[@mickhoddy]

I like it.. it’s the truth. Just because teams have good players doesn’t mean they are winners. Same thing in Toronto.

[@isobelanimation6856]

Best explanation in the pressconfrence

[@jamesanthony5681]

He didn't mention names or singled anyone else, to my understanding.

[@batboy209]

I feel for him, you can just see the rage on his face and hear the frustration in his voice. I'm not a jets fan but I was rooting for them.

[@soul76can]

At least he’s honest.

[@josephpalmer94]

Ottawa please get this guy. Sens are a tough tough to play and with a hardass coach they can push for a playoff spot

[@GordonSlamsay]

get this man some muffins and soda water

[@michaelpocost6194]

This is exactly why Barry Trotz wanted no part of this job! GM has had more than enough time, ownership is just as bad and fans should show their disgust with this whole organization and STOP BUYING TICKETS until front office is WIPED CLEAN or OWNERSHIP SELLS THE TEAM!

[@michaelpocost6194]

He spoke the truth and brief news conference was all that was needed.

[@shikaku2827]

Great coach in my books! Give credit where credit is due!

[@tinotse8964]

As a Canes fan I support Bowness & what he did for the Jets. Sad they couldn't get them into the 2nd round

[@RehanKhan-he8sy]

Nice analysis

[@Asmtv-yr2iq]

Good communication

[@cjveeneman]

well that and $2 will get you a timmy's coffee.

[@MSmith-cp1tz]

So to be clear ,. No pushback?

[@Droz75]

Man is he pissed... Bones is 100% right tho.

[@rich.jerkov]

Well, this is not going to help quell the PLD trade rumors...

[@MikeySkywalker]

Anything else?