Canucks Weekend Wrap, Plus Surprise NHL Coaching Hire

It had been a mostly delightful long Canada Day weekend for most Vancouver Canucks fans weather-wise, and with the leisurely joys that come with it, it can be tough to keep up on developments. So, on a rainy day and night, here’s a little recap of the intrigue.

Friday was nuts:

— First, Patrik Allvin announced the changes to the Vancouver Canucks and Abbotsford coaching staffs.

— Next, Allvin announced the re-signing of three players.

— Finally, he let everyone know he re-signed Brock Boeser for three years and then he talked about it.

Vancouver Canucks Head Coach Bruce Boudreau ended up speaking with Vancouver Hockey Now about all of the above on Friday evening.

— On Boeser, his dad, the season and the signing.

— On the Jack Rathbone signing and the D-corps.

— On Mike Yeo and the new coaching staff.

Bonus Bowness

Well, whatayaknow. Not long after Winnipeg Jets head coaching candidate Barry Trotz decided to step away from the coaching profession for a refresh, Rick Bowness returns from a very short break to take the gig. Bowness left the Dallas Stars at the end of the season and a temporary retirement seemed in order for the 67-year-old New Brunswick native.

His holiday away lasted six weeks.

Bowness was an assistant and then an associate head coach for the Vancouver Canucks from 2006 to 2013.

He joins the team he played his final 45 NHL regular season games for as a 26-year-old centre. He played one playoff game for the Jets a year later in 1982 before joining the organization as a minor league coach. At one point, Bowness actually filled the head coaching position on an interim basis in 1989 and went 8-17-and-3.

“We’re very excited to hire Rick Bowness as the third head coach of Jets 2.0,” Winnipeg General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said in a statement. “Rick brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, both in the NHL coaching ranks and as a player and coach in the city of Winnipeg. Rick is a fantastic hockey mind and an even better person and we’re confident he will lead this team to new heights.”