Bowing out: Joe Bowen begins a Postmedia series on his top NHL stops

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After completing 44 seasons on radio and television for the Maple Leafs, Joe Bowen is retiring this spring.

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In this final season for the Hall of Fame, Postmedia will use Joe's extensive collection of stories to look at select Leafs opponents over the years, famous players and many departed NHL arenas.

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We play back-to-back games with Detroit this long weekend, starting with Joe at Joe Louis Arena:

Hockeytown has been Bowen's favorite hangout since 1982, when he first appeared in the NHL. He attended the University of Windsor across the river and listened to Bruce Martin and Bud Lynch (all three now have the Hall Foster Hewitt Award) at Detroit's Olympia. Bowen even attended a few games at the Old Red Barn on Grand River Avenue.

“I once bought four Cashmir sweaters from an entrepreneur in an Olympia parking lot,” Bowen recalls.

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When Bowen began his operation, the seeds of “Chuck” Norris' division were planted. The Leafs and Wings met eight times, split between the Joes and the Gardens, in an era when the Wings boasted not only Brown but the hockey brain of star center Steve Yzerman.

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“Man, there have been several wars,” Bowen said. “Led by Bob Probert and Joey Kocur against Wendell Clarke. There were times when (fiery, gray-haired Toronto coach) John Brophy had to restrain himself from crossing the benches and attacking his great rival Jacques Demers.

“And so many Toronto fans came across the border to see it all.”

Then came 1993 and Bowen's two most famous unscripted overtime classics in the same first round of the playoffs.

Mike Foligno's dagger in Game 5, his signature goal jump as Bowen repeatedly shouted the name of his good friend from his Sudbury junior days, who was back with a broken leg – and, of course, series winner Nick Borschevsky.

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“From where we were, which was closer to the Detroit goal, I could see Bob Rose shooting and Nick touching the puck. Bob Cole and the guys from Hockey Night were further away and just saw Rose, which was unfortunate because you always want that big decision, right.”

The goal highlighted the Leafs' stunning resurgence that season heading into the Cup Final, setting the stage for four wins in their next six straight conference finals series.

“What a thrilling series this has been, from Toronto losing the first two games so badly, to winning one of their biggest Game 7s, and then just 21 games in 42 days.”

While Joe's press room was famous for its old-school scouts and all-you-can-eat Little Caesars pizza, its cramped press room was extremely difficult to navigate. Back in 1979, building designers envisioned television, radio and other media being housed at the event level, much like basketball.

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“So they put the box in last, and we all suffered for years. There was one (shared) bathroom and a very steep climb up the stands. We almost lost Wilbur in the fall.”

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That would be color analyst and player agent Bill Watters, as inseparable from Bowen in those days as his buddy Jim Ralph is now.

Although Leafs owner Harold Ballard often feuded with the media, Molson's Brewery was a major sponsor of the team and once a year provided a huge party van fully stocked with their product to transport camera crews and beat writers to and from games in Detroit.

“Those were unforgettable trips with Bill and the late, great writer Rick Fraser, who brought his guitar to sing.

“The only thing the van didn't have was a toilet. We had to use a big bucket when nature called for it, which meant we had to wait for a flat stretch of Highway 401 to relieve ourselves.”

Bowen and Ralph no longer travel due to financial decisions by MLSE's owners, but Joe was able to host a few games at the new Little Caesers Arena with its large concourse that pays tribute to Olympia and celebrates the Wings' 100-year history.

“I love this place,” Bowen said. “And they really put some thought into the broadcast positions, unlike the Rogers Center in Edmonton.”

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