Following an on-air mistake while calling a series-winning shot in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ radio team is ending remote coverage of away games and sending their commentary team to each game in-person. Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph had been calling away games from their Toronto studio until Saturday night.
The Leafs’ John Tavares scored a series-winning goal in overtime. However, the remote broadcasting setup using a television feed instead of a live view back proved to be problematic. Bowen mistakenly attributed the winning goal to Morgan Rielly instead of Tavares, as he believed the shot had deflected off Rielly.
While happy about the win, it was an embarrassing moment for the broadcasters, especially when the commentators were forced to stay at home as a cost-cutting measure. Before the Stanley Cup started, it was estimated that the bill for sending the commentators to the games would be around $7,800.
Remote broadcasts have become more prevalent in the past decade, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as restrictions ease, most teams in major North American sports leagues have sent their announcers back on the road. The Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Maple Leafs were exceptions, as their radio crews continued to call road games remotely. Now fan backlash has sent both broadcast teams back on the road.
