Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - RICK BOWNESS UNLOADS ON HIS TEAM 😬 Ft.TSN's Noodles | BB Clips

Episode Date: April 16, 2026

Boomer, Pinder and Rhett are joined by TSN’s Jamie “Noodles” McLennan to break down Rick Bowness’ explosive postgame comments after calling out the Blue Jackets, questioning his team’s effort and culture in a brutally honest rant to end the season. The guys dive into what led to this point, whether Bowness is right to go public like this, and what it says about the state of the organization heading into the offseason. It’s a full conversation on accountability, culture, and whether real change is finally coming in Columbus.Video Link: https://youtu.be/MpEPFqQudAo#nhl #nhlshorts #nhlplayoffs #nhlpredictions #nhlhockey #nhlpicks #stanleycup #stanleycupfinal #columbusbluejackets #columbus CHECK OUT OUR STUFF ⬇️BARN BURNER MERCHhttps://nationgear.ca/collections/shirts/FlamesnationBARN BURNER SHORTS https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj_bcGtvvo-cW2DHEDZ6dEO5ePDmlhZc9&si=jo8iNGxT4ImhS2Y8📲 Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fnbarnburner/X (Twitter): https://x.com/barnburnerfn?lang=en🎧 Listen on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/barn-burner-boomer-pinder-with-rhett-warrener/id1648562889Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mc6Qd5U22R2zbMlQ7RxIiProducer: Jack Haverstock Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For him to be that pissed off, he was pissed off a couple years ago in Winnipeg at the end of the season. But that last night was times 20. I mean, I don't want to say it was outrageous, but it was scathing to the guys in the room. Like he's talking about culture, talking about, you know, not wanting to, you know, like losing spine. I'm like, oh my God, like that's. And I've got Zach Werenski as a Norris finalist. And all I can think about is like, does he win the Norris? Does he not?

Like, is something being said about what's going on in that room? Is he one of the guys? Like, I think that's unfair. But Werensky is one of my finalists for Norris, but, you know, does he win it? Let's play a little bit of it. We haven't played it on the show yet. And if people are just kind of tuning in and they haven't seen it, we'll give just a snippet here.

And it's something. It's ugly. Well, we got away from being aggressive. And we did. And I thought we got very selfish with the puck. Some of these guys, they've got a lot to learn about how to play in this league at this time of year. It gets harder and harder and harder. And we're going to keep reminding them and reminding them every day how hard it is to win at this time of the year.

And you just can't get away. And, you know, I hate when we play on our heels. And we were back a little bit, give them credit. They started coming. But there's a lot of it to be learned from something. of these guys and they better damn well start listening I'll tell me we have more than that that's the old one

that's the time that's like that's him that's him calm no like he was way hotter than that that was like that was him honest to God that was the starting the press conference where he you could see him his mind going and then he starts getting and but I mean he had a doubt to start the first conference

but he was like he was crazy like he was breathing heavily that wasn't last night it's like sweating Yes. Or if it was, he was out of gas by then. He completely emptied the tech. I guess now, I think we all love it. It's passion and we love that sort of thing. And I've also always tapped at the bruce. I love that he did it.

But if you, if you own the blue jackets, can you have him back? Can you have him back? Is what's, because he did. He absolutely ventilated everything, the whole culture of the, franchise. I would say to be honest, Boomer, yes, because there's a guy who's passionate going, okay, so when he sits down in his ear end meeting with Don Waddell, who's a veteran, who gets it, you know, Rick Bonas is 72 years old. He doesn't have to apologize for anything. The guy's seen

and done everything. So I got, I got, I didn't get the sense that he was going to fire as he walked away. I got the sense that he was just being honest and going, you got a problem here. And I think if I'm the owner, goes, okay, you know what, I'm bringing you back next year. How do I fix it? And he goes, player X, Y, and Z doesn't put a jersey on again for this organization. Because he, you know, you look at what changed the culture or what changed some of the things that went on in Winnipeg. He said culture, got to learn. And then all of a sudden a few players left and then things changed in Winnipeg.

I could see that happening in Columbus if he stays on. is it odd that he went in there and they went on such a run to climb back into it and then that's the only confusing part I have because he wasn't saying that three weeks ago yeah well two eight and one in their last 11 two eight and one I think they were in their last 11 like that's dropped right off a cliff like they were they were a playoff team a month ago cemented playoff team they he was asking the press conference like what's changed because when you got here, you're on this heater. He says, well, it gets harder. Like, the pressure ratchets up.

It got hard. And it got hard and the guys wilted when it got hard. And he did not pull punches about that it doesn't burn them up enough when they lose. And that if he's back, he's changing shit. And if I'm the owner, I love hearing that. Because I, like, you can cut checks and miss the playoffs every year and have millionaire athletes. Do you want to make the playoffs? This guy's giving you the path. Okay. Awesome on bones to do it. What other franchises out there?

have the same issue without a coach from the balls to say it. Because there's more than one. Okay, okay. So I'm going to, I'm going to say this. Columbus. I had three people message to me this morning saying, God,

I wish Craig Barubi would have done that in Toronto. Now, again, don't know, don't know anything. It's just been, they've had a tough year. But Craig Barrube, we all know Chief.

Chief could stuff us all in a garbage can at once, the four of us. Like, this guy is, is as tough as nails, old school, but has some new school to him. He's a smart guy. You have to think at some point he would go back to his place at night after watching what he watched this year.

And if he didn't have that speech, like, you know, Bones did it. I would say Craig Barubi would be one, a team that would, you know, an underachieving team, whatever, whatever went. Paul Maurice, no. They just ran out of gas. they had injuries, all of that type of stuff. But I think the Toronto Maple Leafs would probably be one that would have that speech from a coach.

I'm trying to think. Any others that you think off the audience? I don't know. I don't know how good Vancouver is. By God, they just didn't even try sometimes. It was embarrassing. You watch Adam foot behind the bench and they're going, this guy's miserable.

Brube was miserable. The Rangers, Sullivan has to be frustrated. It's like, well. Yeah. I think at some point, though, like Vancouver waived the white flag the minute that Hughes traded. So it's like, okay, you're going to have to manage the rest of this season. Now, again,

I like who they got for Quinn Hughes. That Bium, or whatever his name, I always butcher his name, Zeeve Bueham. Like he looks like he can be a player and it's just going to take time. But at the end of the day, like, there's different layers. Columbus, he's come

in from an outsider. No skin in the game as far as drafting and developing these players. He's just come in and taken over the team. and for him to point that out, he sees something. He's been around the game. He's been around multiple dresser rooms. And he goes, I don't like what's going on in there.

So for me, I come back to what you said, Pinder. If I'm the owner, the owner goes, come back next year and tell us what we need to change. And if you can do it, great. If you can't, you know, we're going to give you a one-year extension. Or maybe he wants to sign a one year to see if this can get it done. but I would argue he has to name names. He's not going to name it to us, but he's going to name names to the owner and to the GM

and say, that player may be a great player. You're never going to win with him. Got to go. Do we want to watch the full bones because we've got the right one? And that was not. That was, I think, two weeks ago when things were starting on route. Yeah, I couldn't tell if that was.

Because I watched the full thing. And he was, it looked like he just. He was a flamethrone, lost a child, ran a 10K and got divorced in 10 minutes. No good idea. White. Yeah. Rick, you've been a part of a lot of games and a lot of seasons. Have you ever been a part of something that's as frustrating as this has been to all stretch?

No. And you know what? You know, how you got to just look at the statute? Three hits, 23 giveaways. Like, I don't know if I'm back, but if I'm back, I'm changing this culture. These guys, they don't care. Losing is not important enough to them. It doesn't bother them. Like how can you go out and play like that?

Should have done this a board a month ago. But this is why we are where we are. This is why we're out of the playoffs. That kind of effort. Losing, you have to hate losing. I don't care if it's a meaningless game. I don't care. Show up and compete.

Three hits, 23 giveaways. What else you want to know? You reached them for so long after you got here. How did it stop? Where did it stop? Because it got tough. Because it got hard. Like we talked about after the Olympic break, it's going to get harder.

So everything is good as long as it's going their way. And now it gets tough, we don't want to battle back. And that's why, well, that's what's happened over the last little week, a couple weeks. That's all that's happened. We're going to change that. If I'm back, I don't know if I'm back. I'll talk. We'll get to that.

But man, oh man, some of those guys are so lucky the season is over and there's no practice tomorrow. It's anyways, there's no more games. What else you want to know? I think even in the long history of this franchise, I don't think they've ever lost six games in a row to end a season at home. No. Is that worse? It's terrible.

And inexcusable. If they're not embarrassed by, not only tonight, by that, they're on the wrong thing. They are. They've got to be embarrassed with that. Anything else? Yeah. You don't like a guy that wants to be bad.

Do you want to be back? Did you scratch the itch? Where are you? All right, we scratch the it. You're going to talk to Doc, as we said from there, right? But I'm just, and the players were told tonight, if I'm back, we're changing. There's freaking culture. I mean, that is not contrived.

That is not, I'm going to go out there and you could hear in his voice before he even got started. He's taking a breath. How don't you love bones? Yeah, that's. I know that we are in this era where the player is different and you're worried about alienating young stars. But if I'm the owner, you've got to bring this guy back because there's a reason your franchise has almost zero success to look at since you were born in the mid 90s. Like what is the high water mark for Columbus? Like you swept or you won a game in the bubble like around in the bubble?

Like they've done nothing. It's been a laugh. stock. Yeah. Toritz beat Tampa Bay or whatever. Yeah. And it was Corpus Salo and Merz Lickens and they were upside. So you had one series win in a bubble with no fans.

I don't know if that was the bubble. There's a second year of bubble, I think. I could be wrong. Pretty sure it's internal. No. I don't think anyway. Like it's embarrassing how bad that franchise. I don't know if you need bones back.

And if you want them back, go ahead. I'm not here or there for that. But clearly he has established a, hey. Because, yeah. That's a fair point. Because he didn't come back to Winnipeg. No. But he read the letter of the law on the way out.

Yeah. And as did more recent. Yeah. Yeah. And then they got rid of Wheeler and Pierlouc de Bois and they won the president's trophy last year. I didn't realize it was that bad at home because obviously they've mixed in some wins here along the way. They beat Montreal in Montreal, five, two. They were in Detroit and won that one in a shootout.

But remember, we talked about before the Olympics break, which team is, what teams are most, you know, frustrated to see this break and the schedule hit? And it was Columbus because they were on a tear at the Olympic break. Columbus and Detroit are the two teams that tumbled the most. The islanders were kind of as well. Ottawa and Philly absolutely skyrocketed and climbed. Pittsburgh kept going despite the injuries and suspensions. I was, it's a deep, long philosophical, that word conversation. Everyone I talked to around hockey, the coaching wise is like,

Give me guys that want to win. We have every skill imaginable. We've got the equipment. We've got the skills. They do the skill work. The puck touches, the edging. The da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. Give me someone that wants to win.

Give me someone that has that heart. Give me someone that will drag these other bastards into a fight. That's what every coach out there is looking for. More of that. We do not need danglers. it's hard to win without the skill. But I'm telling you, all the coaches, all the gyms right now, they're dying for heart and soul guys.

Give me heart and soul guys. Give me three hits. Yeah. Three hits? Yeah. What do we talk? Come on. You can see what's happening in that room.

They're like, one to go, flights booked. They're not even between, they're not even where they're fear. I'm not giving them excuses because bones is clearly saying. You're not thinking about just Columbus. No, I think it's a generational change. The reason that these guys that want to wince about are so coveted is because there's less and less of them. They're not everywhere. Yeah, I had no idea because it's, oh, Ovechkin is this his last game, caps win and whatever he saw.

That's kind of nice. The crowd in Columbus giving them a whatever. And then this house's like, what did I miss him? Because it's two one game. But okay, six in a row and you're at home and you're in and then you're out and Bowens has nothing to lose like we said. I love it. Why not be honest? Yeah.

I think for some players, maybe you get to that point, like you say, where it's, I'm sick of losing. I've been, I love being in the NHL and it was a novelty and a perk and God, this is the greatest thing. But, you know, I am here now. It'd be nice to win something. And playing with other guys that don't give a shit. Well, that's contagious. Like we talk about Nate McKinnon, right? What it must be like for, you almost can't be an avalage player.

if you're wired a certain way. He'll eat you alive. It's five years in a row they've missed. And they won in the bubble against Toronto. Now remember they had the two bubbles that year. They beat Toronto in their own building in a play-in series. I give you credit. The year before was Tampa,

and that was Real Crowds 2019. It's been five years since they made the playoffs. And Aaron Portsland went around the room this morning. Talked to Boone Jenner, and Sean Monahan, others. and they all kind of tried to downplay it, which kind of makes Bones' point. Wow.

When you're on the gospel of the playoffs, and you can play in the Stanley Cup playoffs? Busting your ass. Bones shouldn't have to say a goddamn thing. And you could see this spinning away from them two weeks ago because they were in a spot and then Philly got going and the penguins didn't crumble when they lost Crosby and then the Malkin suspension and Ottawa got their shit together.

and Boston all of a sudden started running once together. When you look at the Ottawa squad, what do you see? Me? A championship caliber team with questionable goaltending. A team that wants to win. Yeah, right? Like, physicality. It's like, son of a bitch, we're going to have to play these bastards.

This is going to be a dog fight. Yeah. Like when I look at all, I'm like, that's a, who drag them out. We're going to do, okay, let's, we've been. Where are the body's going to be found at the end of this? We've been dragging Carolina for being a team. that's tough to get excited about. Ottawa and that series helps a ton for me actually turning it on.

Because I really think that they're building something special in Ottawa. They got a really good team.