Bowen will call his final Maple Leafs game live from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Wednesday night.
As the Toronto Maple Leafs saluted the Scotiabank Arena crowd in what was their final home game of the season, many of the players raised their sticks in the direction of Joe Bowen, who was calling his last home game with the team.
"He's the man," said Max Domi after Toronto's 6-5 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday. "I'm really happy for him and his family. What a career. One of the first people that comes to mind when you think of the Toronto Maple Leafs."
Bowen began calling Maple Leafs games 44 years ago, and he's lived through almost everything you can with Toronto: the down years, several playoff series victories, but unfortunately, no Stanley Cups.
Despite that, though, Bowen was overcome with emotion on Monday when he received a standing ovation in the final TV timeout of the game against the Stars.
With his family behind him, also overwhelmed with emotion, Bowen turned to Jim Ralph, his longtime radio partner of 28 years, and said, 'You heard I'm retiring?'
"Yeah, I saw it online this morning," Ralph humorously replied.
That is exactly what made this duo so special. No matter the final score, whether Toronto was winning or losing, you could always guarantee some fun from Bowen and Ralph over the radio waves.
"The people that sit next to you, all of them have a wealth of knowledge of the sport, and then they have that uncanny ability to explain it to the layman, if you will, and exactly what's going on," Bowen told John Forslund of Prime Monday Night Hockey after Monday's game.
"But what I have been blessed with — and Bill Waters is part of that, and Gord Stellick is part of that, and (Greg Millen) and (Harry Neale) and Ralphy — is that they were such great people, but wonderful senses of humor."
Bowen continued to share a few lessons that mentor Mike Cranston suggested to him early in his radio career: be yourself and don't be afraid to show personality on the microphone.
It's not just the fans who had fun listening to Bowen. His voice would echo from the speakers inside the Scotiabank Arena media workroom, and you could guarantee a chuckle from most Toronto media members as they listened to the two call the game before going into the Maple Leafs dressing room.
"I've worked with these guys (Waters, Stellick, Millen, Neale, and Ralph) and their personalities have been so fun to be around," Bowen continued to Forslund. "I mean, I'm sorry, but this season has been dog doo doo for a while. And yet, Ralphy and I are having a blast."
The players also loved hearing his voice, too.
"I think just the calls over the years, especially the one in the playoffs, I think, when (John Tavares) scored, is one that I remember," said William Nylander, who's likely referring to the overtime-winner Tavares scored in 2023 to put the Maple Leafs over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs.
Speaking of Tavares, when he scored the opening goal of the game on Monday, Bowen threw out one of his patented 'Johnny Toronto!' calls.
"Yeah, it's surreal," said Tavares after the game of that call. "You grow up dreaming about the National Hockey League, and follow the Leafs and hear him call so many games, and 'Holy Mackinaw!' and obviously countless others.
"For him to give one to me over the course of my time here has been surreal."
Before Bowen arrived in the radio booth (which'll be called 'Bowen's Booth' next season) on Monday, he and his son, Sean, did an interview, likely about his future retirement.
"Well, the two of us become blithering idiots, weeping and whatnot and hanging onto each other's shoulders," Bowen laughed. "The 10 minutes took a half hour to do because we had numerous stops."
It's been 10 months and a day since he and the Maple Leafs announced that this would be his final season behind the microphone. And it's been filled with lots of emotion, dating all the way back to 'Joe Bowen Night' in mid-December.
"I'm glad I decided to make an announcement that this was going to be my last year," Bowen told Forslund.
"Because one of the things that has been so revealing and so nice is people coming up to me at the grocery store that I've never met in my life, and just saying, 'You've been in the car with us. My son loved hockey because of listening to you.' And you run into the players, Steven Lorentz and Max Domi and John Tavares, who say, 'You know what, I loved the sport and listening to you, I knew that's where I wanted to go.'
"And then your heart just swells with it, and it's been marvellous. It's something that I will cherish for the rest of my life."
Bowen, however, isn't done yet.
He'll join the Maple Leafs on their charter to Ottawa and will be inside the Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday to call the final Maple Leafs game of the season against the Ottawa Senators.
And even after Bowen's career is over, it doesn't mean you won't be able to find him somewhere inside Scotiabank Arena during Maple Leafs games. While speaking with Forslund, Bowen admitted he'll be at most games next season.
"The difference will be, I'll be three Crown Royals into it before they drop the puck," he smiled.