Joe Bowen served as the voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs for 44 years from 1982 until his retirement in 2026. theScore caught up with the Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster to discuss his favorite call, his transition from play-by-play announcer to fan, and much more.
This phone interview was conducted Oct. 13 and has been edited for length and clarity. Bowen partnered with Think Turkey this Thanksgiving for their “Cheer on Canadian Thanksgiving” campaign.
theScore: How are you enjoying retirement?
Bowen: I seem to be busier now than when I was working, for crying out loud. But it's all good.
What do you miss most about the job?
Bowen: The people. I don't think that that's strange by any stretch of the imagination. I enjoy the freedom that I have now of not following a schedule. I worked with color commentator Jim Ralph for 29 years or so. That's been a little bit of an adjustment. And all the other people that were involved with the Maple Leafs, from the players, the coaching staff, and everything else, so you miss that. But I'm doing a lot of ambassador work for the Leafs, so I'm down there on a regular basis and I get to see these people again.
theScore: Is it strange watching games from your couch after being behind the mic for over four decades?
Bowen: Well I have a Leaf jersey on, a drink in my hand, and I'm screaming and yelling at the referees, something I wasn't able to do when I was working. I just made the transformation from broadcaster to fan and it's not a long stretch. I'm a huge fan of my football teams and everything else. For road games, I'm getting together with family and we're hollering, screaming, and getting upset like any other fan would do. High-fiving and celebrating when we can. It's a little bit different, but it's nothing that I haven't done in the past with other organizations, namely the Notre Dame Fighting Irish or the Green Bay Packers. It's all the same.
theScore: Have you ever found yourself doing play-by-play out of habit? Any "Holy Mackinaws" from the living room?
Bowen: I can honestly say I have not. I never did before, even when watching other games. That's something I haven't done, and I don't know if I would. Instead of "Holy Mackinaw," there may be some deleted expletives. But so far nothing of that nature. Not yet, anyway.
theScore: You made so many iconic calls in your career. What's your personal favorite?
Bowen: I think the 1993 Nikolai Borschevsky series-clinching overtime winner versus the Detroit Red Wings is probably it, and I'll tell you why. In the 1980s with Harold Ballard running the operation, there really was no hope. Ownership was not interested in spending the money or helping the team. With new ownership and the arrival of general manager Cliff Fletcher in the '90s, the Borschevsky goal signaled that the corner had been turned. There's no guarantees that you're going to win. But ownership and management were in place to at least give it a try. And of course, that season they went on to become as close as they have to getting to a Stanley Cup Final during my tenure. I think that's probably my favorite.
When overtime started in that game, they switched ends, and so where our broadcast position was at the Joe Louis Arena, we were near that blue line. When you get a call like that, you really pray that you get a good look at it and you get it right. And I knew Borschevsky had touched the puck, and he didn't touch it very much, but the Bob Rouse shot was deflected, and when you get a chance to make a call like that, you are hoping to get it right.
theScore: How difficult can it be as a hockey play-by-play announcer to identify who scored the goal when it's off a deflection or scramble in front of the net?
Bowen: The last couple of years we didn't travel. We were doing it off a television monitor. Maybe the second-biggest goal in my tenure was the 2023 John Tavares series-clinching overtime winner against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Unfortunately, when John came around the net and shot, and the goal was scored, the broadcast panned to Morgan Rielly. I gave it the "Mo, Mo, Mo Rielly has scored for Toronto!" And it was wrong. If we'd been in the building, we would've seen the celebration going to John. But we weren't. We were hamstrung there with the video that was provided to us. The call was wrong. And I can't tell you how upset I was by it, but that was what we had to work with and that was the end result. You hope you see it right, and I think the only way you're going to see it right is to be in the building.
theScore: Describe the emotions of your final year on the mic being one of the most disappointing seasons in Leafs recent history.
Bowen: Well, you don't have control over that. I've had lots of experience with losing seasons. I went through the '80s, trust me. It's not for lack of trying. You understand professional sports are a team thing, and the attitude and atmosphere dictates a lot of what goes on. Last year, for whatever reason, the attitude and the atmosphere in the room didn't coincide with what it was in past years. And that dictates exactly how you're going to play. The talent level in the NHL from team to team, regardless of what you may think, is incredibly close. Sure there are great stars, but overall, the talent level is remarkably close. Teams create that word, "culture," which is a very viable thing. When teams have that culture and maintain it, they have a run of success. That's the difficult thing for any management or any coaching staff, is to produce that kind of culture to make it go.
What went on for me was remarkable. The Leafs did such a wonderful job celebrating. I was completely overwhelmed by everything. My family was very much involved, which was very, very important to me. Having it go that way was unfortunate, but at least I knew when the end was coming. It wasn't going to be in overtime in Game 6 or 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That would've been a quick goodbye. It was something that at least I could anticipate, plan, and - for the very first time, I must admit - produce some sort of a written script that I could try and read at the end because I knew it was going to be emotional.
theScore: Which current Maple Leaf player would you like to see in the broadcast booth one day?
Bowen: Jake McCabe's got a great personality. He would be entertaining. Ex-Maple Leaf Scott Laughton would be excellent as well. Rielly has got a great personality with it as well. I think he would be very good at analyzing the play.
theScore: Give me your prediction for the 2026-27 Maple Leafs.
Bowen: I think they're good enough to make the postseason. We had that run of 10 years or so where people said, "It doesn't really matter what they do in the regular season, it's what they do in the playoffs." Well, I got news for you, figure it out. They didn't make the playoffs last season. The regular season does mean a great deal. The postseason is a crapshoot. It really is. You've got to have some good fortune, you've got to have some good health. I think the way it's started with both Auston Matthews and William Nylander exploding out of the gate bodes exceptionally well for this team. They need to get Chris Tanev back, and I sincerely hope the injury that he's sustained has nothing to do with what kept him out last year. And if they do, they're going to make the postseason.
