Joe Bowen, Voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs since 1982, joins Stephanie Ciccarelli to share about his four-decade long career as an NHL announcer, how he got his start in play-by-play and how announcing has changed over the years. Joe also discusses how he prepares for a game, what it takes to connect with an audience, what the best broadcasters do and tips for how to become a better sportscaster.
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Hi there and welcome to Vox Talk, your weekly review from the world of voice over. I’m your host, Stephanie Ciccarelli from Voices. Joe Bowen, Voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs, joins us to discuss his road to becoming an announcer for the National Hockey League, what a day in the life of an NHL play-by-play announcer is like and what it takes to connect with an audience. On March 7, 2017, Joe called his 3,000th game as Voice of the Leafs and in June of 2018, the Hockey Hall of Fame named Joe as the 2018 winner of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, honoring outstanding contributions by a hockey broadcaster. Welcome to Vox Talk, Joe!
Some questions asked on the show:
You’ve been broadcasting for a long time. What can you tell us about the road to becoming an announcer for the NHL?
Who did you look up to as a young announcer and why?
What’s an average day like for you during the regular season? Do you have any vocal routines? How does this change during the play-offs?
What’s the closest you’ve ever gotten to calling a Stanley Cup final game?
Is there a moment in your career that stands out above the rest?
Although much of play-by-play is improvisational, there’s got to be some preparation involved. How do you get ready for a game and is there any specific homework you do ahead of time?
You’ve been the voice of the Leafs for four decades. Over that time, you’ve been through a lot with the Toronto fans and no doubt, have gotten to know them pretty well. That said, what does it take to connect with an audience and what does the Toronto Maple Leafs community mean to you?
Joe, what's the best way for people to follow your work? Where can they see or hear you?
Wrap Up
And that’s the way we saw the world through the lens of voice over this week. Thank you for listening and for being part of our community here at Voices! A special thank you to our special guest, Joe Bowen. If you like what you heard, be sure to share this episode with your friends and family. That said, share it with any hockey fan you know, especially if they root for the Leafs! For Voices, I’m your host, Stephanie Ciccarelli. Vox Talk’s producer is Geoff Bremner. Thanks again for listening, and we’ll see you next week.
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