Maple Leafs to honour retiring broadcaster Joe Bowen with tribute game

The Toronto Maple Leafs will celebrate the career of longtime play-by-play announcer Joe Bowen with a special tribute game.

On Dec. 16, the Leafs will host the Chicago Blackhawks — the same opponent Bowen called in his broadcasting debut on Oct. 6, 1982 at Chicago Stadium.

The 74-year-old announced in June that the upcoming season will be his last behind the microphone after 44 years as the voice of 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,†said Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating Joe all season but especially making Dec. 16 a very special tribute to the man known as the ‘voice of the Maple Leafs.â€â€

The Sudbury, Ont., native was honoured with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 and is set to call the 3,800th game of his career in January 2026.

“For 44 years I have had the greatest broadcasting job in the world,†Bowen said. “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!â€

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