Blue Jackets' players echo Bowness' frustration with late-season collapse
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — For the second time in four seasons, Rick Bowness had a front row seat to one of his teams collapsing down the stretch and ending the season with disappointment. And once again, Bowness did not hold back on his opinions as they enter the offseason. Bowness’ 3-minute rant after the Blue Jackets’ 2-1 season-ending loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night remained fresh in players’ minds on Wednesday as they went through end-of-season meetings.
Bowness said he should have voiced frustration a couple of weeks earlier. Had he done so, the Blue Jackets might have reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020. Instead, after posting a 3-9-1 record in their final stretch, they fell just a few points short.
“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? ” Bowness said postgame. “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.