Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) is congratulated by Toronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander Apr 22, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) is congratulated by Toronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander (88) after he scored the game winning goal during overtime in game three of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ game-winning overtime goal in Game 6 over the Tampa Bay Lightning was the kind of moment that every broadcaster dreams of calling. Unfortunately for radio announcer Joe Bowen, his call of the magical moment got flubbed thanks in part to having to call the game remotely.

Saturday night, the Maple Leafs won a playoff series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the first time they’ve done so in 19 years. Their 2-1 overtime victory sent long-suffering fans into a frenzy and made for a passionate call by Bowen worthy of the moment.

“They score! They score! Holy Mackinaw they score! Morgan Rielly! Mo, Mo, Mo Rielly! The Leafs have won it! They’re going to the second round!” Bowen exclaimed.

Unfortunately, Morgan Rielly didn’t actually score the game-winner. While it did appear that Reilly might have redirected the puck toward the net, Toronto captain John Tavares was the one actually credited with the historic goal.

To his credit, Bowen rolled with the error as the emotions of the moment trumped the specifics.

“Joe, it may not be Rielly. It may have gone off the skate of Raddysh. Tavares threw it to the net…I think John Tavares is going to get credit for the goal. And at this point, who cares?” color commentator Jim Ralph added.

“Who cares?” Bowen responded, before signing “Happy days are here again! The sky is blue and clear again, we will drink good cups of cheer again! Happy days are here again.”

After the game, Bowen responded to a fan’s criticism of his game call, saying that he did his best given that he was watching the game on a TV monitor and not live in the arena.

“When the TV shot doesn’t show the Tavares celebration until well after the fact it’s rather difficult to make the call off the TV monitor. By the initial celebration it appeared Morgan Reilly [sic] had scored. My bad!” Bowen tweeted.

Sportsnet and TSN initially made their road game broadcasts remote during the COVID-19 pandemic but continued to do so after most restrictions were lifted, owing to cost-cutting measures. It doesn’t appear as though they’ll be changing course on that in spite of the way it impacted the most important Toronto Maple Leafs’ broadcasting moment of the last 20 years.

Per The Athletic, it would cost an estimated $10,000 to send broadcasters to road games during a seven-game series.

[Joe Bowen, Daily Hive, blogTO]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.