Bowman’s Future Is Still in Question

DETROIT — As soon as the Stanley Cup playoffs end, Scotty Bowman is going to see his doctor and then make a decision on his future with the Detroit Red Wings.

Some people think Bowman already knows whether he wants to return to coach the team for a fifth season and it will not depend on whether Detroit ends its 42-year Stanley Cup drought.

“I want to take a good physical,” Bowman said Saturday morning before the Red Wings tried to complete a sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers in the Cup finals. “I think at my age, it’s the right thing to do. I did it the last two years, that’s the most important thing. I’ll do that and then make a decision.”

Bowman, 63, has shown little emotion being on the verge of becoming the first NHL coach to win titles with three teams. This one would also be the seventh of his coaching career, one shy of Toe Blake’s record.

Bowman acknowledges going out with a Cup would be special, but he also notes some coaches have found it difficult to leave after winning.

Winning in Detroit would be special though, said Bowman, who led Montreal to five titles and Pittsburgh one.

“I’m fortunate I did come here because everyone knows coaches salaries have changed so much in recent years,” Bowman said. “I have done much better here in my four years than I have in my previous 21. I had a family to put through school and it paid for it. This would be special because Detroit has treated me so well. This would be a good payback.”

Bowman came here in 1993 and he has turned Detroit into a contender. It made the Cup final in 1995 before being swept by New Jersey and it went to the conference final in 1996 before losing to Colorado, the eventual winner.

Red Wings assistant coach Barry Smith said Bowman has been really focused since the start of the playoffs, particularly in his attention to details. He’s getting the right people on the ice and no one is playing too much or too little.

Bowman has occasionally even taken a moment to enjoy what’s happening, but Smith adds he wants another title, and not just because it would make him the first man with titles with three teams.

“I think [it’s] four years of building, it’s nice to have fruition, and hopefully it’s coming this year,” Smith said. “I think that’s more important than having three teams and having an asterisk for doing it.”

Bowman has long had a reputation for not getting along with players, but no one on the Wings was willing to criticize him hours before a possible title.

“I don’t know anybody in his dressing room who has had any problem with him,” defenseman Larry Murphy said. “He is an excellent coach and everybody respects him and everybody believes in him.”

Smith said the days of Bowman being in players’ faces are over.

“If he was then, he is not now,” Smith said. “ Players are allowed to play. If you are a good pro, you like to play for Scotty because he let’s you play.”

Aaron Ward, the defenseman who joined the Wings at the same time as Bowman, feels his coach has adapted more to the ‘90s style athletes.

“I am sure he is a guy who is his own person away from the rink,” Ward said. “But he’s a stern coach who demands a lot. He is pretty stoic in the locker. He is not the type of guy who is close to his players. I want to be politically correct.

“He can frustrate you sometimes when you don’t understand where he is coming from,” Ward added. “But if you sit back and evaluate his actions or his philosophy, it’s easier to understand later on, and it is a success.”