Joe Bowen gets massive support from Leafs fans that want him back
Toronto Maple Leafs radio announcer Joe Bowen wants to be back on the airwaves next season alongside Jim Ralph.
He’s just not quite sure if he will be.
Without a contract for next season, the 72-year-old announcer Bowen took to Twitter this week to clear the air about a possible sendoff he gave following Toronto’s elimination from the playoffs earlier this month.
“Just so we are clear here. Jim Ralph and I are both hopeful of returning next season as the radio voices of your Maple Leafs,” Bowen tweeted Wednesday. “Our contracts have expired, and it has been reported by The Athletic’ that nothing will be decided until closer to the next season.'”
Bowen was met with plenty of support from Leafs fans following his tweet.
😶🤔
Who do I need to cuss out, Joe? https://t.co/YXMNVkPnI6— Uncledropsí (@DropsicusCaesar) May 18, 2023
These are the most important contracts in Toronto. I’m not kidding. I hope Dubas, Keefe, and the entire gang are back, but this is a non-negotiable. Joe @Bonsie1951 & Ralph @Jim_Ralph are the voices and conscience of the community that is the foundation of the #LeafsForever https://t.co/p4jE6SRVOi
— Justin Luey (@JustinLuey) May 18, 2023
Couldn't imagine it any other way💙 https://t.co/W0Z7b9GzKj
— Leafs Fan for Life 🇨🇦🍁🥅🏅🎵 (@LeafsGirl76) May 18, 2023
No offence but if Joe and Jim aren’t renewed, I will leap into a volcano https://t.co/XCy3XiEiNO
— Ludicrously Capacious Bag (@ChurchCarlton) May 17, 2023
Would be a colossal mistake to let these 2 go… https://t.co/gVKPhGuRWN
— Shawno (@oconnell53) May 17, 2023
If these 2 aren’t back. We riot. The city shuts down. Joe is the heart and soul of leafs broadcasting and I wish we’d hear more of him. https://t.co/fbhAFNpt1o
— 🇨🇦Johnny Ireland🇨🇦 (@johnnyi39) May 18, 2023
Bowen was notably emotional following Toronto’s 3-2 loss in Game 5 against the Florida Panthers that ended the longest Leafs’ playoff run since 2004.
“Well, partner, 41 years of doing this, 3,550 games and if this is the end of the line, been a hell of a run for us. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. Hopefully, we’ll be back next year, but we’re not sure about yet,” Bowen told Ralph following the game on the team’s radio broadcast “But to you and to everybody associated going forward with this has been really very, very special… I’m a little choked up; I’m sorry.”
"If this is the end of the line, been a helluva run for us."
Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph bid farewell for perhaps the last time ever.#LeafsForever @Bonsie1951 @Jim_Ralph pic.twitter.com/VTQX3UuGec
— LeafsJellyHD (@LeafsJelly) May 13, 2023
Bowen made his debut as a play-by-play commentator for the Leafs in 1982, working on the TV broadcasts of TSN, Sportsnet, and CBC broadcasts over the last four decades.
Since Bowen first joined the organization, Toronto has gone 1,418-1,356-192-192 in the regular season while advancing to the Conference Finals in 1993, 1994, 1999, and 2002, but never returning to the vaunted Stanley Cup Final.
He has been on the Toronto play-by-play radio call since 2014 for both Sportsnet and TSN.
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