Don Granato, a Blue Jackets assistant coach who is acting as head coach while Rick Bowness is out with an undisclosed health issue, said Bowness is in good spirits despite missing the past two games and a practice.
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Bowness, 71, is scheduled to undergo further testing Nov. 16 that will prevent him from traveling with the team to open a four-game road trip. General manager Don Waddell said Bowness is considered “day-to-day” until more is known about something that began ailing him prior to a Nov. 12 morning skate.
Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness watches from the bench beside assistant coach Don Granato during the second period of the preseason NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Sept. 21, 2026.
Asked about Bowness after a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 14, Granato was upbeat.
“You know, you’re not going to crush that guy’s spirit, that’s for sure,” Granato said. “He still has a lot of energy and certainly a lot of passion for [coaching], but he has, obviously, something he’s dealing with, and he’ll get through it. But he, trust me … this hasn’t changed him. He had enough energy to be here [at the morning skate Nov. 14].”
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After that skate, Waddell provided some clarification about Bowness’ continued absence.
“He’s doing more testing on Monday [Nov. 16],” Waddell said. “He was actually here [at the arena] this morning for a little bit. That’s a good sign. He met with the coaches and [all] that. We’ll list him like a player, ‘day-to-day,’ but I’ve talked to him a lot. He’s doing OK. He’s just got some things that are affecting him that we need to figure out … the doctors need to figure out.”
Columbus Blue Jackets assistant coaches Don Granato, right, and Trent Vogelhuber man the bench in the absence of head coach Rick Bowness during the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena on Nov. 12, 2026.
Granato, former head coach of the Buffalo Sabres, ran the bench against the Lightning and Flyers with assistants Trent Vogelhuber, Jared Boll and goaltending coach Niklas Backstrom handling their usual roles. Bowness hasn’t been ruled out for the upcoming road trip, even though he won’t travel with the team after practice Nov. 16 at Nationwide Arena.
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“The last couple days, he wasn’t feeling great,” Waddell said. “He came in Thursday morning, and we told him to go home and get rest because he wasn’t ‘looking great, and from there we got our doctors involved and we’re trying to figure out what’s going on.”
DispatchBlue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets’ Rick Bowness said to be in good spirits amid health concerns
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