Maple Leafs to honour Joe Bowen during December 16 game vs. Blackhawks

Joe Bowen, the iconic play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Maple Leafs, will be honoured by the organization during the December 16 game against the Chicago Blackhawks, the team announced Thursday.

Bowen will retire at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, spending 44 years in the role. The 74-year-old is best known for his “HOLY MACKINAW” slogan that he’s used throughout his career with glee and excitement.

“For 44 years I have had the greatest broadcasting job in the world,” Bowen said in a statement issued by the Maple Leafs. “I truly have never “worked” a day since arriving in Toronto to do Maple Leaf Hockey. I am very much looking forward to this final season and hoping that maybe, just maybe, this is the ONE!!”

Bowen has served in the role since October 6, 1982, making his debut against the Blackhawks. In many ways, the December 16 celebration will be a full-circle moment for Bowen and the Maple Leafs.

“Nobody represents the passion of Leafs Nation better than Joe Bowen and his signature voice has been the soundtrack for so many iconic moments for the team over the past 44 years,” Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said. “We look forward to celebrating Joe all season but especially making December 16 a very special tribute to the man known as the ‘voice of the Maple Leafs’.”

Bowen announced he was retiring on June 13, thanking Leafs fans for their undying support, while reflecting on the fact that he’s called more games than his idol, Foster Hewitt, the legendary Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster, perhaps best known for coining “He shoots, he scores!” on the airwaves. Bowen was granted the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018, granted to ‘distinguished members of the radio and television industry who made outstanding contributions to their profession and the game during their career in hockey broadcasting’ per the Hall’s criteria.