"Get off your butts": Joe Bowen rips quiet Leafs fans at home opener
The Toronto Maple Leafs might’ve won their first game of the season against the Montreal Canadiens, but longtime radio commentator Joe Bowen was not impressed with the opening-night crowd.
Bowen called the game on TSN 1050 last night and lamented how quiet Scotiabank Arena was in the lead-up to puck drop.
“Once again, I have gotta give the crowd here a thumbs down,” said Bowen on the broadcast. “I know Toronto audiences are different, but my gosh, really?
“Get off your butts and stand up! They should have had the crowd in here from the last exhibition game. They were terrific!”
It’s hard to argue with Bowen, now entering his 42nd season as the voice of the Maple Leafs, that the crowd was unusually timid for what may be one of the more exciting games of the season.
Bowen wasn’t the only one who noticed the rather studious nature of the crowd. Hockey fans watching the game also noticed it and weren’t shy about sharing their opinions on social media.
The rink is dead quiet for these player intros in Toronto. Their fans are so done with the regular season.
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) October 11, 2023
Sorry but these guys in suits at the games irritate the heck out of me. Like if that was me I’d be literally losing my mind. The photos of me would be embarrassing. Genuinely wish there were less of these guys in the arena. pic.twitter.com/A1QTPvMLyr
— Jenaya (@tavmarnythews) October 12, 2023
It seems that some fans believe the high cost of Leafs tickets is contributing to the library-like setting at some regular season Toronto games. Bowen remarked how the latest Leafs preseason crowd was much better, which could be attributed to lower costs allowing fans who might not be able to afford regular season seats to take in a game.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that will change anytime soon as the cheapest tickets for the next Leafs home game, Saturday against the Minnesota Wild, are currently listed at over $130 on Ticketmaster.
Rowdy crowd or not, it’s no question that the Maple Leafs put on quite a show in their home opener, storming back from a late two-goal deficit and defeating the Canadiens in a shootout.
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