The Toronto Maple Leafs have apparently found the person who will take over one of the most recognizable jobs in Canadian sports broadcasting.
According to a report from YYZ Sports Media, longtime voice of the AHL's Toronto Marlies, Todd Crocker, is set to replace Joe Bowen as the Maple Leafs' radio play-by-play voice following Bowen's retirement.
Breaking: I'm told that barring the unexpected the new voice of the @MapleLeafs on radio will be Marlies voice @ToddCrocker who will join Jim Ralph on the radio this season... More in coming days
— Jonah Sigel | Sports media + streaming (@yyzsportsmedia) August 21, 2026
For Leafs fans, the end of the Bowen era was always going to create a significant void.
Bowen spent 44 years calling Maple Leafs games, becoming one of the most recognizable voices in franchise history. He officially retired following the 2025-26 season, bringing an end to a remarkable run that saw him call more than 3,800 games for Toronto.
Bowen's retirement was announced in June 2025, when he revealed that the 2025-26 season would be his final one with the Maple Leafs. He said at the time that he had been "totally blessed" to have the opportunity to do his dream job.
His final game was on April 15 when the Leafs faced the Ottawa Senators in their season finale. There was a major question asked about who will ultimately take over, but now it seems like we have our answer.
Todd Crocker was the easy call to replace Joe Bowen on Leafs radio
Replacing someone who held the position for more than four decades was never going to be an easy task. However, Crocker is about as logical a choice as the Maple Leafs could have made.
Crocker is already familiar to many Leafs fans through his work as the play-by-play voice of the Toronto Marlies, the organization's AHL affiliate. He has been responsible for calling Marlies games and has developed considerable experience describing the prospects and players who make their way through the Maple Leafs' system.
More importantly, this wouldn't be Crocker's first time calling an NHL game for the Maple Leafs.
In January 2025, Crocker filled in for Bowen when the longtime broadcaster took an extremely rare night off to watch Notre Dame play Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national championship game.
Bowen explained at the time that it was the first day off he had requested in 43 years of doing the job. He specifically thanked Crocker for filling in for him that night. That game gave Leafs fans a glimpse of what the future could sound like.
Crocker handled the radio call alongside Jim Ralph as Toronto defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 at Scotiabank Arena. It was an unusual circumstance at the time, but with Bowen now retired, that one-game replacement suddenly looks much more significant.
Crocker has spent years building toward this opportunity, and his familiarity with the organization should make the transition easier for both the broadcaster and the audience. Again, it's impossible to replace Joe Bowen and his voice is still ringing in our ears while thinking about the Toronto Maple Leafs, but now we're hopefully going to carve out a long tenure with Crocker on our radios.
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