TORONTO (July 18) — Are you ready for Holy Mackinaw! the Sequel?

There is no hard information here in mid–summer, generally the lone quiet portion of the National Hockey League off–season, but whispers continue that David Bowen could replace his famolus dad, Joe, as radio voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs (Joe retired last season after a 44–year run in the booth). Neither is this a groundbreaking subject; veteran hockey writer Ken Campbell explored the possibility in a Toronto Star feature story back in February. Papa Joe has been touring the United Kingdom and was either too busy, or too hesitent, to answer an email about David. But, family succession in media is hardly foreign beneath the Rogers/MLSE umbrella.

The Blue Jays “re–located” Ben Wagner, an excellent broadcaster, three years ago so that Ben Shulman could join father, Dan, as voice of the baseball team. Ben calls the Blue Jays on radio and subs for Dan on Sportsnet a half–dozen occasions each year. Why couldn’t young Bowen follow suit with the Maple Leafs?

Wrote Campbell in the Star: David, who is a lot taller, has a deeper voice and is slightly less manic behind the mic than his father, is in his third year of calling road games and select home games for the [Sudbury] Wolves [of the Ontario Hockey League]. He makes $50 a game and the team takes care of his expenses on the road. “Honestly, I’d do it for free,” said David, who is 25. That will not be required if he follows his dad to Toronto. Joe was voice of the Wolves from 1974–79, whereupon he moved to Halifax to call games of the American Hockey League Nova Scotia Voyageurs. He became radio voice of the Leafs on Oct. 6, 1982 at the Chicago Stadium. During the course of four–plus decades, Joe called many more Leaf games than his predecessors, including the inventor of hockey broadcasting, Foster Hewitt. In the post–pandemic era, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment became too cheap to send Bowen and broadcast partner Jim Ralph on the road. Instead, the long–time duo holed up in a darkened studio at Sportsnet headquarters and called matches off the TV. As does Ben Shulman, for the most part, when father Dan follows the Blue Jays away from home. Clearly, it wasn’t an arrangement that Bowen enjoyed… after four decades of routinely traveling to all games; until Lou Lamoriello came aboard as general manager (in 2014), Joe accompanied the team on its charter flights. The cost–saving measure undoubtedly hastened his retirement.

DAVID BOWEN (LEFT) WAS JOINED BY FAMOUS DAD, JOE, AT THE SUDBURY ARENA FOR A JUNIOR ‘A’ BROADCAST ON FAMILY DAY 2026. WILL DAVID FOLLOW JOE AS “VOICE OF THE LEAFS”?

Perhaps some would consider David Bowen, at 25, too young and inexperienced to assume the role from his father. Until it’s pointed out that Ben Shulman was 23 when he first broadcast a Blue Jays game (in 2024). Hall of Famer Jim Hughson was 22 when he moved into the telecast booth with the Vancouver Canucks; still just 26 when hired (the same season as Bowen, 1982–83) to call the midweek Leafs games on Hamilton independent CHCH–TV (Channel 11). Chris Cuthbert was 26 when he began calling football and hockey for CBC. So, age shouldn’t be an overriding factor; neither is an immaculate résumé likely required for the current Leafs’ radio role — a “back–up” position with all games available on TV. In fact, broadcasting bloodlines seem just as important.

In New York, for the past 63 years, the Albert family has been America’s answer to the Sutter clan from Alberta. Marv Albert, now 84, began calling New York Knicks basketball games in 1963. He later became a national figure, mostly on NBC, and remains active. His son, Kenny Albert, is, today, the premier play calling voice in the United States — broadcasting baseball (regular–season and playoffs) and a weekly National Football League game for FOX. He is also voice of the New York Rangers, a role father Marv long held, and is prominent on national telecasts of the NHL. Remember the famed “bat–flip” inning at Rogers Center in 2015, when Jose Bautista hammered a three–run homer against Texas in Game 5 of the Division Series… then flung his bat toward the Rangers’ dugout? It was Kenny Albert calling the scene on TV for FOX, perhaps not realizing it would become an international incident. Marv’s brothers (Kenny’s uncles) Al and Steve Albert were also involved in sports broadcasting.

Just as famously, we’ve had Harry, Skip, Chip and Chris Carey in St. Louis and Chicago; Jack and Joe Buck in St. Louis; Dan and John Kelly, also in St. Louis and voices of the Blues (Jack Buck was the original voice, in 1967–68, before Kelly came down from Ottawa to assume the role). Ian Eagle and son, Noah, currently broadcast in the U.S. — Ian, a weekly NFL game for CBS. North of the border, it began with Foster Hewitt and continued to son, Bill, who became famous as TV voice of the Leafs in the 1960’s and 70’s. Chris Cuthbert has long been the No. 1 voice of hockey in Canada; his son, Justin, is prominent on Toronto radio and digital platforms. Al Shaver (from London, Ont.) was radio voice of the Minnesota North Stars from the club’s inception in 1967–68 until its move to Dallas in 1993. Al’s son, Wally, calls hockey for the University of Minnesota. Former Maple Leafs center Ed Olczyk has become a hockey broadcasting legend south of the border, even appearing, as a horse–racing expert, on NBC’s national coverage of the Kentucky Derby. Eddie and his son, Nick, currently work for the Utah Mammoth.

So, why shouldn’t David Bowen follow his dad? The question is largely rhetorical… with one caveat: Given that Rogers is systematically demolishing its radio properties across the land, perhaps there will no–longer be a “voice of the Leafs.” Now that Sportsnet has exclusive coverage of Saturday night hockey games (and I pray I’m not launching an idea, here), the company may opt for the cheapest alternative — simulcasting Cuthbert and Craig Simpson’s TV call on radio. Even if confounding to listeners, as the TV announcers discuss what is on their monitors. But, again, terrestrial radio doesn’t matter anymore in Ed the Conqueror’s empire. Which is such a shame.

VISITING THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME

Having not been to the Hockey Hall of Fame in roughly ten years, I was blown away by the artifacts and displays when I visited a week ago with my cousin from Pittsburgh, Jeff Tobe. What a collection of vintage jerseys, sticks, pucks, nets and trophies. Much more extensive than during the early years of the Hall, when it resided at Exhibition Place across from the old football and baseball stadium. The current location at Yonge and Front St. opened in June 1993. The highlight, for many, is on the upper level — in the Esso Great Hall, where the Stanley Cup and the individual NHL trophies are situated. Please enjoy these images from my trusty NIKON:

It resides in a secure vault on the second level of the Hockey Hall: the original Stanley Cup challenge trophy commisioned in 1892 and named after Frederick Arthur Stanley, the governor–general of Canada. The modern, one–piece trophy came into service in 1958. The original Cup bowl (above) stood atop the current design until 1969, when deemed too brittle for transport.

Upper portion of the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded since 1965 to the most–valuable player in the Stanley Cup tournament. Naturally, the trophy is a bronze replica of Maple Leaf Gardens (built by Smythe and opened in November 1931) set in front of… you guessed it, a giant maple leaf. The lone Toronto player to win the award was Dave Keon, in 1967, after Toronto defeated Montreal.

A bronze statue of Ken Dryden sits near the visitor entrance to the Hall — the late Montreal goalie in his familiar and unique pose, leaning on the top of his goal stick with arms folded. Dryden won the Stanley Cup six times in his nine–year career with the Canadiens.

 
Seats preserved from Maple Leaf Gardens (left) and the Chicago Stadium (right).

My favorite section of the Hall displays game–worn NHL jerseys (above) from the early expansion era (beginning in 1967). Including a Pittsburgh Penguins home jersey from 1967–68 and a California Golden Seals road item from 1975–76, the final year for the franchise in Oakland. The Hartford Whalers and Cleveland Barons (below) date to the late–70’s.

 
Bobby Clarke’s road jersey (left) from the 1973–74 Stanley Cup–champion Philadelphia Flyers. And front logo of the California road uniform, worn by the Seals in their final two NHL campaigns.

 
The Montreal Canadiens red jersey hasn’t changed much over the decades. This one (left), worn by the club from 1925–35, had a Canadiens logo on the left sleeve. The holes, we pray, were made by moths, not bullets. And, an authentic Boston Bruins jersey (right), circa 1926–32.

 
Front–of–jersey logos of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Black Hawks from the 1950’s.

The Hall contains a remarkable section of game–worn goalie masks, many of which are instantly recognizable. At top–left, perhaps the most–iconic mask of all, worn by Terry Sawchuk, late in his career, with Detroit, Toronto, Los Angeles and the Rangers. In the middle is Ed Giacomin’s item from the early–70’s New York Rangers… and (right) the mask he wore at the end of his career in Detroit. At bottom–left is the mask worn in Toronto by Doug Favell from 1973–75. And, the two masks worn by Mike Palmateer in a Maple Leafs uniform — middle, from his rookie season in 1976–77. Then, the item he wore from 1977–80, before a trade to the Washington Capitals.

 
The Avco World Trophy (left), awarded to the champion of the World Hockey Association throughout its seven–season existence. And, the road jersey worn by the Toronto Toros from 1973–76.

The James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded to the best defenceman in the NHL.Won most frequently by Bobby Orr, Doug Harvey and Nicklas Lidstrom.

Naturally, a Hockey Hall located in Toronto must have a Tim Hortons restaurant near the exit. Horton was a mainstay on the Maple Leafs blue line for 20 years and an integral part of the 1960’s Stanley Cup dynasty under Punch Imlach. He died in 1974 while playing for Buffalo.

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