Special Bulletin - Longtime Toronto Maple Leafs broadcaster Joe Bowen will retire after the 2025-26 season


We have some more heartbreaking news for Maple Leaf fans: Longtime broadcaster Joe Bowen announces that the 2025-26 season will be his last as a broadcaster.


Bowen, 74 announced this morning on X that he will hang up the mic after the 2025-26 season.


Bowen is fifth play-by-play radio broadcaster in Toronto Maple Leafs history, replacing Ron Hewat, and he has called over 3,000 games (regular season and playoffs) over his 40+ year career calling Maple Leaf games.


Until the regional TV rights for the Maple Leafs were split between TSN4 and Sportsnet Ontario in the 2014-15 season, Bowen also called regional Leaf games on Leafs TV (later Leafs Nation Network, now defunct).


Since then, he has called Maple Leaf games on the radio permanently, after his TV duties were taken over by play-by-play commentators from TSN4 or Sportsnet Ontario.


His famous catchphrase is "Holy Mackinaw!", typically used when an amazing goal is scored or a big save is made.


Bowen's 1st game as a Maple Leaf broadcaster was on October 6, 1982 against the Chicago Blackhawks, a game that ended in a 3-3 tie after 60 minutes.


He remained a mainstay in the Leafs' broadcasting booth throughout the 1990s, despite rumours circulating in 1995 that he would be replaced.


In 1995, the radio rights to the Toronto Maple Leafs were moved over to Q107 (CILQ-FM), and he joined the station instead of the Telemedia Sports Network.


From 1999 until 2012, the radio rights were moved over to sister station CFYI (later CFMJ, now CFIQ), after which the radio rights were split between CJCL (Sportsnet 590 The Fan) and CHUM (TSN 1050).


He first partnered up with Harry Neale for 12 seasons, up until Jim Ralph stepped up to become his new sidekick several years later.


We wish him the best of luck in his upcoming retirement and we'll see if Bowen can call a Stanley Cup final game on local radio.

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