Has Joe Bowen called his final game as voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs?

This article was last updated on May 15, 2023

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Has Joe Bowen called his final game as voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs?

There was no indication of any such circumstance prior to last night’s playoff elimination by the Florida Panthers. But, neither has Bowen ever wrapped up a Leafs season the way he did as the Toronto and Florida players were shaking hands at center ice. “Well partner,” he said to long–time booth mate Jim Ralph, “41 years of doing this; 3,550 games… and if this is the end of the line, it’s been a hell of a run for us. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. Hopefully, we’ll be back next year, but we’re not sure of that yet. But, um, to you and to everyone associated going forward with this, it has been very, very special. And, uh, I know I… (after a three–second pause) I’m a little choked up. I’m sorry. But, it’s been quite a run. Love you.” To which Ralph replied, “We’re going for beers. Love you, too.” Then, Bowen continued: “We will ship it off to the post–game show with Jim Tatti and Frank Corrado. So, maybe for the last time, Joe Bowen bidding you good night from Scotiabank Arena, as the Florida Panthers advance on a goal by Nick Cousins, at 15:32 of overtime, to eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games.”

Bowen’s sign–off clearly did not echo like a resignation or retirement announcement. Rather, it seems the tall foreheads at Rogers Communications and Bell Canada — the companies that control 75 percent of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment — have either directly, or obliquely, indicated to the 71–year–old that he will not return in the Fall. Other than seeking change, in voice or media policy, there is no apparent justification to end Bowen’s career as radio broadcaster of the Leafs, which began at the old Chicago Stadium on Oct. 6, 1982. He has called more games than any person in franchise history, even if his tenure would fall short of the 53 years (1923–76) in which Foster Hewitt, the inventor of hockey broadcasting, followed the Leafs on radio and TV. From a public perspective, Bowen has lost neither his enthusiasm for the job nor his booming pipes. He’s been a good soldier for MLSE during the post–pandemic era, as the billion–dollar company saved comparative pennies by keeping he and Ralph home to call road games off a TV monitor. Only once, in an interview with The Canadian Press, did Bowen question the parsimony from above. “In my humble estimation, it’s not the right way to do it, but the powers that be at present believe — I guess it’s a cost–cutting measure of some sort — so this is what we’re doing and trying to do the best we can under the circumstances.” Hardly grounds for the dismissal of a Toronto sports icon.