Maple Leafs broadcasting legend Joe Bowen announces retirement plan
Article content
Sinatra said it best
And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend I'll say it clear
I'll state my case of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way!!
THX LEAF NATION! pic.twitter.com/70ogU4BMqX
— Joe Bowen (@Bonsie1951) June 13, 2025
During his time calling Leafs games, Bowen's voice could be heard on a variety of stations that had the rights, his talent standing the test of time and surviving the widely changing sports broadcasting landscape in this country.
On television where he was the voice of the Leafs as well, he worded alongside analyst Harry Neale for 12 years but Bowen's most constant partner has been Jim Ralph, who has been alongside him in the radio booth for 28 seasons. The pair were a constant source of information and entertainment to Leafs fans for nearly three decades.
In recent years, Bowen has been frustrated by not being able to travel with the team, but has maintained his professionalism as he and Ralph adapt to the challenges of broadcasting changes. And with one more season, Bowen hopes he has a chance to call the action for a championship team for the first time.
'I sincerely hope that this will be the 'One Before I am Done' season for the Leafs as they chase that elusive Cup,' Bowen said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edmonton Journal
8 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
In their search for a Stanley Cup the Edmonton Oilers are facing a daunting sequel: 9 Things
Article content 8. And it gets worse. Over five games the Florida Panthers have played 200:25 with the lead. For the Edmonton Oilers? 33:51. When you are chasing that much, the wear, tear and odds have a way of catching up to you. 7. But then there is this sobering statistic: In the history of the Stanley Cup Playoffs the club who wins Game Five of the Finals has won the Cup seventy-three percent of the time. So, the odds are heavily in the Panthers' favor. 6. However…eight teams have rallied from 3-2 deficits to win Best of Seven Stanley Cup Finals. They range from the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to the 2011 Boston Bruins. In between that were some truly powerhouse clubs such as the 2009 Penguins, 2001 Avalanche and 1971 Montreal Canadiens. So, you're saying there is a chance?! 5. I supported starting Calvin Pickard in goal for Game Five. And if I had it to do all over again, I would not do any differently. Goaltending did not win or lose Game Five for either side. All four that got past Pickard were Grade 'A' chances against. But for an elimination game I do think you start your #1 guy. And that is Stuart Skinner.
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Marchand, Bennett too hot for Oilers to handle in Game 5 of Stanley Cup final
EDMONTON – Driving the Florida Panthers attack in the playoffs is a player in his NHL prime and another acting like he is. Sam Bennett, 28, and Brad Marchand, 37, continued to be a lot for the Oilers to handle in the Stanley Cup final in Florida's 5-2 win over Edmonton on Saturday to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Marchand scored twice Saturday — Florida's first and third goals — to reach half a dozen goals in the Cup final. Florida's second goal of the game was Bennett's fifth of the Cup final and his NHL-leading 15th of the post-season. The Panthers can close out the series at home Tuesday and become the first back-to-back Stanley Cup champions since the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. A new ingredient for the Panthers this post-season, however, is the five-foot-nine, 180-pound Marchand, who Florida acquired at the trade deadline after his almost 16 years with the Boston Bruins. Marchand's six goals was the most by any player in the championship series since Esa Tikkanen in 1988. Marchand, from Halifax, seeks the second Stanley Cup of his career after lifting the trophy with the Boston Bruins in 2011 at the age of 23. He reached another two Cup finals with Boston before he was dealt to Florida this winter. When asked what the 2011 edition of Brad Marchand would say to his 2025 version, he replied 'man, that guy's good looking.' 'Sometimes you get bounces, sometimes you don't but definitely you'd be grateful to be in this opportunity and have another opportunity to be in the finals and be part of a really good team for sure,' Marchand continued. Bennett, from Holland Landing, Ont., pushed his road goal streak to six straight games when he wired a rebound past Edmonton's Calvin Pickard to give the Oilers a 2-0 lead in the first period. A front-runner for this year's Conn Smythe Trophy that goes to the NHL's playoff MVP, Bennett ranks second in post-season in hits (103) to Edmonton's Zach Hyman (111). 'We've talked about it so much,' said Bennett's teammate Sam Reinhart. 'It's just his game translates so well to this time of year. He creates so much room for himself.' Marchand and Bennett each with five, or more, goals apiece in the Cup final are the first teammates to do so since Montreal's Frank Mahovlich and Yvan Cournoyer in 1973. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'They're just certainly capable of processing the context of the game,' Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. 'They don't get too high, they don't go too low. Their energy level is high, and they're very focused on the game. 'There's a mental toughness there, a mental capacity to stay within the game and not try to break it open. Just wait. Patience.' The ageless Marchand scored both his goals off draws that Edmonton won, but he got to the puck first and beat Oilers to the net to score twice. 'What he can do under duress in a small area is world class,' Maurice said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2025.
Global News
10 hours ago
- Global News
Panthers outplay Oilers 5-2, for 3-2 lead in Stanley Cup final
Connor McDavid had Sergei Bobrovsky at his mercy. Edmonton's superstar captain chipped a rebound from the side of the net toward Florida's off-balance goaltender that somehow stayed out as part of Saturday's early surge. The Panthers, as they have so often over the last three springs, steadied themselves and pushed back. Now the Oilers sit in a familiar spot — facing elimination in the Stanley Cup final. Brad Marchand scored twice to give him a series-leading six goals and Sam Bennett buried his NHL playoff-leading 15th as Florida defeated Edmonton 5-2 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven matchup. 'Chasing the game over and over against a team like this, it's very difficult,' said Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, whose group has been outscored 11-4 through five first periods after falling behind 2-0 early Saturday. 'They took advantage of some opportunities. At the end of the day, we didn't and it ends up being a difference.' Story continues below advertisement Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen, into the empty net to go along with an assist, had the other goals for the defending champs. Bobrovsky made 19 saves for the Panthers, who can clinch a second straight Cup win over the Oilers after falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 when the series shifts back to Sunrise, Fla., for Game 6 on Tuesday. 'It's a great opportunity,' Bennett said. 'We're not going to get ahead of ourselves. It's going to be the hardest game. We know that. The job's not done yet. A lot more work to do.' Game 7, if necessary, would be back in Edmonton on Friday. Bennett and Marchand are the first players since 1981 with at least five goals each in the same final, and the first teammates to do so since 1973. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We're just enjoying the moment,' Marchand said. 'It's a special time, special memories we're gonna have forever.' The 37-year-old is also the first player to register six goals in a final since 1988. 'When you need guys to step up, time and time again he's there to produce,' Reinhart said. McDavid and Corey Perry replied for the Oilers. Calvin Pickard stopped 14 shots. Story continues below advertisement McDavid and fellow star centre Leon Draisaitl were not made available to reporters post-game. 'We've come out flat now most of the series … it's a mindset,' Edmonton defenceman Mattias Ekholm said. 'They're a good team for a reason. They've come out and showed that early in the games and we have to find a way to be better at the start.' The Oilers don't have much time. 'We're a team that can find a way to come back,' Nugent-Hopkins said. 'But it's not always going to happen.' Edmonton trailed Florida 3-0 in last year's final only to battle back with three straight victories to force a winner-take-all finale the club lost 2-1. McDavid had that early chance and another decent look inside an electric Rogers Place — the raucous, well-lubricated weekend crowd hit 113.4 decibels when the home side touched the ice ahead of puck drop — before the Panthers pounced. Marchand was quickest off a faceoff at centre and then blew past Ekholm before firing his ninth of the playoffs off the post and in at 9:12. The trade deadline acquisition from the Boston Bruins now has 12 goals in his four appearances in the final to become the seventh player in the post-expansion era to reach that number. He's also the second player since 1967-68 to have at least five goals in multiple finals after scoring that many in 2011 with the Boston Bruins to join Mario Lemieux (1991 and 1992). Story continues below advertisement The Oilers went to the power play later in the period, but a disjointed and timid sequence resulted in little zone time and no shots on Bobrovsky. Florida doubled its lead moments later when Bennett fired past Pickard, who got the start ahead of Stuart Skinner following his 23-save performance off the bench in Edmonton's dramatic 5-4 overtime victory in Game 4, after Matthew Tkachuk's initial shot was blocked at 18:06. Bennett is the fourth active player to have at least 15 goals in a single playoff, joining Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby and injured Oilers forward Zach Hyman. 'There's a connectedness you feel as a group,' Edmonton blueliner Darnell Nurse said. 'We've had it for moments over the course of this series, but it wasn't there tonight.' Edmonton went back to the man advantage in the second period, but Bobrovsky denied both Nugent-Hopkins and Perry before McDavid hit the post. Marchand made it 3-0 at 5:12 of the third when he undressed Edmonton defenceman Jack Walman and slid home his 10th past Pickard. McDavid gave the home side some life at 7:24 with a shake-and-back move on Bobrovsky for his seventh of the playoffs and first of the final. But Reinhart put things to bed 46 seconds later when he snapped home his seventh. Perry nabbed a consolation goal with 3:13 left in regulation and Pickard on the bench for an extra attacker in an Edmonton push that came far too late before Luostarinen iced it into the empty net to push the Oilers to the brink — and another heartbreaking end. Story continues below advertisement 'We've got to win one game,' Nurse said. 'That's all you can control. You don't look at it any other way. We've got to go to Florida, bring our best effort. 'And try to win one game.'
