Longtime radio broadcaster Joe Bowen will call his final game Wednesday when the Maple Leafs travel to Ottawa to take on the Senators, putting a bow on a 43-year career that began back on October 6, 1982, at Chicago Stadium for the now 75-year-old.
“What’s been so overwhelming is people reaching out and sending just very quick texts or something. A lot of the former players have reached out, but a lot of their parents and dads as well,” Bowen said. “The greatest trip that we had, when we were allowed to travel, was the parents trip, the dad’s trip, maybe because they were more my age, I suppose. After we’d put the kiddies to bed, we’d stay out and have a couple beverages and whatnot, and that’s been really meaningful. It’s been very special to have people like Dion Phaneuf and his dad that have taken the time to send a small note to say they’re listening to us; it’s really something.”
“As a player, you’re not thinking about that. You understand the parameters, they understand the standings and everything else that’s going on, but you’re just trying to play the game. Everyone is clamouring about a top-five pick, but you can’t play that way,” Bowen said. “You have a young guy, who’s never scored a goal in the National Hockey League, score one, and I mean, how exciting is that for him, no matter what the circumstances are with the team at that point. It was fun, and I guess in the big picture of things, it was a great game, but fell in the right column, and we’ll see what happens tomorrow night against Ottawa.”
Bowen has spent the past 29 years working alongside Jim Ralph. In that time, the two have formed a relationship that goes far beyond the arena, making Ralph one of the most important people in Bowen’s life.
“Ralphie [Jim Ralph] and I have sat beside each other for 29 years, four marriages, and all kinds of fun and great times. I’ve said this many times, he’s the Bob Uecker of hockey, he really is. He’s knowledgeable, he’s quick, he’s prepared, he knows the game inside out, and yet he’s got that self-defacing sense of humour,” Bowen said. “The minor league guy that just couldn’t make it, but was there and dreamt about making the next step, but never got the chance. It’s just been an absolute delight, and our families have grown up together, so it will be a difficult goodbye to do tomorrow night.”
Bowen has seen 43 years worth of Maple Leafs hockey, stretching from the Harold Ballard days to the era better known as ‘the core four’. Bowen was asked on Tuesday’s show if there was one particular stretch of his career that stood out to him the most, answering in a way that highlighted the true character that many players have spoken about.
“I don’t think I could narrow it down because the players were always so great,” Bowen said.
Sponsored by bet365