Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness is taking a leave of absence from the team after his wife, Judy, had a seizure Sunday evening. Assistant Scott Arniel will step in as interim coach until Bowness is able to return.
The Jets made the announcement in a statement Monday, also saying that Judy Bowness remains hospitalized while undergoing further tests.
Bowness, 68, is in his second season behind Winnipeg’s bench after being hired in July 2022 to replace then-interim coach Dave Lowry. The Jets went 46-33-3 under Bowness in his first year, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights in the first round of the playoffs.
Winnipeg is off to a 2-3-0 start this season; it will next face the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
Arniel, 61, skated in 730 career NHL games — including over four seasons with the Jets from 1982 to ’86 — before he transitioned into the coaching world. Arniel was briefly head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2010 to ’12. He held NHL assistant roles with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, Washington Capitals and with the Jets since he was brought on by Bowness in 2022. Arniel played for Winnipeg during the same 1984-85 season when Bowness was an assistant with the club.
The Jets also asked for “everyone to respect the family’s privacy at this time.”
