Paul Maurice Resigns as Winnipeg Jets Head Coach; Lowry Takes Over

This morning it appeared to be a normal game day morning for the Winnipeg Jets as they prepared to host the Washington Capitals tonight at the Canada Life Centre, but then all things changed when the Jets made a surprise lunchtime announcement.

Paul Maurice, who was in his ninth season as the Jets head coach, announced that he was resigning from his position.

The timing of the announcement caught many by surprise, but many fans have been calling for Maurice to be fired (Check the comment section from our recap of the Jets’ 4-2 loss to the Sabres) due to the Jets’ poor run of form over the last month.

Since November 18, the Jets have struggled immensely. During that time the Jets have posted a 4-7-2 record and have dropped down to fifth place in the Central Division with 31 points in 28 games.

Dave Lowry will take over as the Winnipeg Jets head coach after Paul Maurice resigned today

Jets general manager, Kevin Cheveldayoff, announced that assistant coach Dave Lowry will be Winnipeg’s head coach for the remainder of the 2021-2022 season.

This is the fifty-six-year-old’s first time as a head coach at the NHL level. He was an assistant coach for the Calgary Flames from 2009-2012 and for the Los Angeles Kings from 2017-2019.

Lowry started his coaching career in 2005 in the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen. He was then named their head coach for the 2008-2009 season. He then was the head coach for the Victoria Royals of the WHL for five seasons from 2012-2017 and coached the Brandon White Kings during the 2019-2020 season.

This season is Lowry’s second with the Jets after being hired during the offseason before the 2021 season. He will make his NHL head coaching debut tonight when the Jets face off against the Capitals. You can get ready for tonight’s game by reading our game preview by clicking the “NEXT” link at the bottom of this article.

It is interesting to note that one of our site’s writers, Dan St. Joseph, wrote an article last year about which coaches should be considered in the Paul Maurice succession plan and he hoped that Dave Lowry would be considered in replacing Maurice.

Winnipeg Jets Fans: What are your reactions to Maurice resigning and the Jets naming Dave Lowry as the head coach for the rest of the season? Leave your comments below!