Play By Play: Maple Leafs broadcaster Joe Bowen on 1999 Playoffs

Holy Mackinaw! This week on “Play by Play,” I am pleased to share with you the story of the Voice of the Maple Leafs, Joe Bowen. As you will see when you watch the show, Joe has gone to the experts to make his work-from-home office look as if he is still right in the midst of the hockey season.

I worked with Joe for many years in Toronto radio at The FAN 1430 and 590, before coming to The Sabres. Two of those years we worked together as voices of the Maple Leafs. While Joe was on TV calling the games, I would handle the radio calls, which amounted to about half a season of play by play. 

While many in Buffalo may think of Joe as just the radio announcer of the hated rival Maple Leafs, I am here to tell you he is a generous man, a funny man, and amongst the best in the game when it comes to play by play. Joe carries with him an extreme passion for his job and love for the game. 

Bowen makes no bones about the fact he loves the Maple Leafs, and that is obvious with every goal call he has ever made for the home team.

We talked about Bowen’s connections and chemistry with the color commentators he has worked with over the years. Among them is Harry Neale, the beloved broadcaster who also shared the Sabres broadcast booth with fellow Hall of Famer Rick Jeanneret. 

The topic of the 1999 Eastern Conference Final is of course another reason for this conversation. That year saw Toronto and Buffalo meet for the first and only time in a playoff series. 

Joe recounts how Game 1 of that series played such a huge role in the eventual outcome. The series is being replayed this week on Sabres Classics on MSG in the Sabres viewing area. 

The full version of our chat with Joe Bowen can be found at the Sabres YouTube channel.