Rick Bowness hired as associate coach by Lightning, according to report

The Tampa Bay Lightning have hired Rick Bowness as an associate coach, according to Renaud Lavoie of RDS.

Bowness was believed to be coveted by several teams to fill a similar role. On Sunday, Damien Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times reported that the Lightning had been speaking with Bowness and were potentially closing in on a deal. Apparently, that is the case.

The 58-year-old became an option after he was relieved by the Vancouver Canucks along with head coach Alain Vigneault and Newell Brown. Bowness had been employed by the team for the past seven seasons. In total, he has been employed as an NHL coach for 24 years. Bowness has head coaching experience at the NHL level, as he led the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Phoenix Coyotes and the original Winnipeg Jets.

The Lightning have yet to formally announce the hiring.

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