Huge announcement regarding Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph for the playoffs
Back during the pandemic, the Toronto Maple Leafs' famous radio crew, Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph, were forced to call road games from the studio back home in Toronto. However, there has been an interesting development in that department.
As fate would have it,Bowen and Ralph are now heading back on the road for the Maple Leafs' 2024 playoff run with a strong possibility of a rematch with Florida.
The pair of veteran commentators are now back to calling road games live, and with the ability to feed off of the crowd, it creates a more authentic experience for not only the fans, but for Bowen and Ralph as well.
Last year, the beloved radio crew called the Leafs' first playoff series win in 19 years from back home in Toronto, rather than where the series finished, at AMALIE Arena in Tampa Bay. Bowen and Ralph were both eventually given the opportunity to travel to Florida for round two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but unfortunately, a Game 5 victory by the Panthers iced the series early and sent the Leafs packing, along with Bowen and Ralph.
As the Leafs and Panthers lined up to shake hands following the conclusion of last year's second round series, Bowen delivered what many felt was a heartfelt goodbye after 41 years on the call. At the time, he and Ralph were heading into the summer with no contract extension in place. It had many wondering if we were seeing the end of an era in Toronto.
-Bowen after last year's Game 5 loss to Florida
Thankfully, a deal was able to be worked out to bring Bowen and Ralph back to continue doing what they do best. The news from this weekend only adds to the excitement.
The Maple Leafs were one of the few teams in the NHL who have opted to have their radio crew stay in town for both home and away games, instead of consistently traveling for the regular season and playoff road games. Being one of the most popular and electrifying radio crews in the NHL, Bowen and Ralph must be excited to get back to calling games the way they should be called, having the ability to feed off of the atmosphere in the building, where they belong.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 15 | 364 ANSWERS Huge announcement regarding Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph for the playoffs Is Joe Bowen the best Maple Leafs play-caller of all-time? | ||
| Yes | 313 | 86 % |
| No | 51 | 14 % |
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