On Tuesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs will pay tribute to the team’s legendary broadcaster during a special on-ice ceremony.
Joe Bowen, the pride of Sudbury, has been the voice of the Leafs for 44 years and thousands of games, but he’s retiring from the booth at the end of the season.
Earlier this week, Bowen sat down for a lengthy interview on Village Media’s Closer Look podcast. He talked about his love for the fans, his approach to the job, and the origins of his signature phrase — “Holy Mackinaw!"
Bowen also said that as his final season winds down, he’s received plenty of kind words from people who spend their winters listening to his voice.
“It’s been overwhelming, it really has,” he said. “I've gotten letters, I've gotten texts, emails. I get stopped on my way to the games or if I'm out shopping. I've been really touched.”
One particular letter really stood out.
“He said that his dad was a huge Leafs fan and he was terminally ill,” Bowen said. “He went up to the hospital to visit his dad on, literally, his last night. They're going to watch the hockey game and his dad said: ‘Could you bring a radio? I want to listen to Joe.’”
As for Tuesday night, Bowen joked that he hasn't had much time to think about it because he's been fielding too many ticket requests.
“I sometimes have to pinch myself," he told the podcast. “I wake up in the middle of the night thinking: ‘What in the hell are you going to say after this is done on the ice?’ I'm hoping that I don't end up being a bawling mess, but I think we have a few things and lots of people to thank, that's for sure.”
You can watch the full interview HERE.
Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.
Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.
Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Have something to say? Please reach out. Our email address is [email protected].
