Joe Bowen
| Joe Bowen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 5, 1951 Sudbury, Ontario, Canada |
|
Sports commentary career | |
| Team(s) |
Nova Scotia Voyageurs (?–1982) Toronto Maple Leafs (1982–present) |
| Genre(s) | play-by-play (television and radio) |
| Sports | ice hockey |
Joe Bowen (born April 5, 1951), is a Canadian sportscaster. He is known as "The Voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs", having broadcast over 2,100 Leaf games.[1] He started calling games for the Leafs in 1982, after calling games for the Nova Scotia Voyageurs.[2]
Bowen's catchphrase is "Holy Mackinaw!", typically used when an amazing goal is scored or a big save is made. It has been suggested that the phrase originated from a California Spirit Yell, but Bowen claims he got the phrase from his dad who said "Holy Mackinaw" instead of swearing. He is also known for his creative alliteration when announcing the starting goaltenders (e.g. technicians of the tangled twine, watchdogs of the webbed wickets, officers of the oblong onion bags, etc.). Greg Millen is currently his broadcasting partner, after his longtime partner Harry Neale accepted a position with the Buffalo Sabres. Bowen and Millen are the voices of Leaf games on television through Leafs TV or Rogers Sportsnet Ontario. Bowen also does the radio play-by-play on Sportsnet 590 The Fan or TSN Radio 1050 with Jim Ralph for playoff games and games that are broadcast on TSN or CBC. Recently, he appeared in a TV commercial for Harvey's promoting the "bigger" Angus Burger and used his famous aforementioned catchphrase. Joe Bowen was the Radio Announcer in the 1986 film Youngblood. Also, he has called several lacrosse seasons for the NLL's Toronto Rock from their inception in Toronto 1999 after one season in Hamilton as the Ontario Raiders. This included the 1999-2002 NLL championship games and is believed to have stopped after the 2007 season.
Early life
Married to Jannine Ferguson of Uxbridge and the father of four boys (Liam, Derek, Sean and David), Joe was born and raised in Sudbury. He attended Sudbury High School, where he was part of the Copper Cliff Redmen Northern Ontario Championship Hockey Club of 1967. After graduating from the University of Windsor,[3] where he developed his broadcasting chops at CJAM, Joe returned to Sudbury where he started his career in radio, covering the Ontario Hockey League's Sudbury Wolves.He now lives in Unionville, Ontario with his family.