Joe Bowen (born April 5, 1951) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
sportscaster. He is known as "The Voice of the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
", having broadcast over 3,000 Leaf games.
Early life, career, and family
Bowen was born and raised in Sudbury. His father died in 1965. He attended
Sudbury High School, where he was part of the Copper Cliff Redmen
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Provi ...
championship hockey club in 1967. After graduating from the
University of Windsor
, mottoeng = Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge
, established =
, academic_affiliations = CARL, COU, Universities Canada
, former_names = Assumption College (1857-1956)Assumption University of Windsor (1956-1963)
, type = Public universit ...
, where he developed his broadcasting chops at
CJAM-FM
CJAM-FM (99.1 MHz) is a Canadian campus radio station broadcasting at 99.1 FM from the University of Windsor campus in Windsor, Ontario.
CJAM is an active member of the National Campus and Community Radio Association, and hosted the 2008 Nat ...
, Bowen returned to Sudbury where he started his career in radio, covering the
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...
's
Sudbury Wolves
The Sudbury Wolves are an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) ice hockey team based in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
Sudbury has had various hockey teams competing at the Junior ice hockey, junior and senior ice hockey levels of the game k ...
.
Career
Bowen started calling games for the Leafs in 1982, after calling games for the
Nova Scotia Voyageurs
The Nova Scotia Voyageurs were a professional ice hockey team, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atl ...
.
Bowen's
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
is "Holy Mackinaw!" (also the catch phrase from the CFL's Hamilton Tiger Cats), 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.) Bowen does the
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
play-by-play on
Sportsnet 590 The Fan
CJCL (590 AM, '' Sportsnet 590 The Fan'') is a Canadian sports radio station in Toronto, Ontario. Owned and operated by Rogers Sports & Media since 2002, CJCL's studios are located at the Rogers Building at Bloor and Jarvis in downtown Toro ...
or
TSN Radio 1050 with
Jim Ralph
Jim Ralph (born May 13, 1962) is a media personality and retired professional hockey player from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.
From 1978 to 1989, he played for numerous Ontario Hockey League and American Hockey League teams, including the O ...
.
Bowen appeared in a TV commercial for
Harvey's promoting the "bigger" Angus Burger, using his famous aforementioned catchphrase (and has voiced over many Harvey's commercials recently). He was the radio announcer in the 1986 film ''
Youngblood.'' He also called several seasons for the
NLL's
Toronto Rock
The Toronto Rock are a professional box lacrosse franchise based in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the North Division of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team was the first Canadian franchise in the NLL. ...
, beginning in their inaugural season in Toronto in 1999, after one season in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
as the Ontario Raiders. This included the 1999-2002 NLL championship games. Bowen stopped calling Rock games after the 2007 season.
On March 7, 2017, Bowen called his 3,000th game as Voice of the Leafs, a 3-2 home victory over the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
.
In June 2018, the
Hockey Hall of Fame
, logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg
, logo_upright = 0.5
, image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg
, caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992
, map_type =
, former_name =
, established = 1943
, location = 30 Y ...
announced that Bowen was named as the 2018 winner of the
Foster Hewitt Memorial Award
The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is an annual accolade honoring a member of the ice hockey broadcasting world. It was named for the Canadian hockey radio broadcaster and newspaper journalist Foster Hewitt, and it has been presented every year at a ...
, honouring outstanding contributions by a hockey broadcaster.
References
External links
Bio, hosted by Sportsnet.ca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, Joe
1951 births
Canadian television sportscasters
Canadian radio sportscasters
Toronto Maple Leafs announcers
Lacrosse announcers
Living people
National Hockey League broadcasters
People from Greater Sudbury
Public address announcers
University of Windsor alumni
Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winners
National Lacrosse League announcers