Dallas Stars' Rick Bowness stepping down after three seasons as head coach

The Dallas Stars announced on Friday that Rick Bowness is stepping down as head coach.

Bowness had his two-year contract expire after the Stars were eliminated by the Flames in the first round of the playoffs. The Stars won't have any assistant coaches next season.

Bowness said in a statement that it was best to step away and allow the organization to pursue a different direction at the head coaching position. It has been an honor for me and my family to represent the Stars and the city of Dallas.

Bowness coached the Stars for parts of three seasons. After the team parted ways with Jim Montgomery, he took over on an interim basis. The Stanley Cup Final was necessitated by the COVID-19 epidemic and Bowness led Dallas to victory. He got a two-year contract after that run.

Dallas finished in the first wild card spot in the Western Conference this season despite not making the playoffs in 2020-21, and they lost in overtime of Game 7 to the Pacific Division leader.

He was the team's 24th head coach. His.577 points percentage was the fifth-best in franchise history. Bowness is one of the most respected and beloved individuals to have ever coached in the NHL.

Bowness has the most games as an assistant or head coach in NHL history. He has a career head coaching record of over 200 victories in 668 games with six different teams. He was an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins, the New York Islanders, the Phoenix Coyotes, and the Toronto Raptors. He is one of three coaches in NHL history to have held a head coaching position in five different decades, alongside Hockey Hall of Famers Pat Quinn and Scotty Bowman.

His dedication and commitment to the game, and the impact that he has made on countless players, coaches and support staff throughout his five decades in the League is unparalleled. Nill said that the Dallas Stars are part of his legacy because he has dedicated his life to the game. I wish Rick, Judy and the rest of their family nothing but the best as they move forward.

The Dallas Stars are one of five NHL teams looking for a new head coach in the off-season. It is expected to be a strong market for coaching candidates, from recently fired coaches like Barry Trotz and Peter DeBoer to veteran bench bosses like Claude Julien and Rick Tocchet.

Two of the all-time winningest coaches, Mike Babcock and Joel Quenneville, could also be available. After he was fired in Toronto, Babcock was accused of mental abuse by his former players. Quenneville resigned from the Florida panthers after a report was released that detailed how the Chicago Hawks mishandled allegations that a player was sexually abused by an assistant coach in 2010.