WARMINGTON: Bonsie makes Maple Leafs fans feel like they're in attendance at road games

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Holy Mackinaw does Joe Bowen ever make radio listeners feel like they’re in attendance watching the Toronto Maple Leafs live as they take on the Panthers in Florida for Round 2 of the playoffs.

It’s especially amazing since the legendary play-by-play man and his equally skilled colour man sidekick, Jim Ralph, are not at the road games themselves.

Like they did for the first round when three games were on the road in Ottawa, the iconic duo – who do such an amazing job at the home games – are not with the team and Leafs Nation in Sunrise, Fla., for Games 3 and 4. They are in Toronto broadcasting from a TSN studio near McCowan Rd. and Hwy. 401 while watching the game on television.

“Too many MLSE execs on the plane. No room for broadcasters,” chirped former FAN 590 Maple Leafs reporter Howard Berger, who has actually said a lot of harsher things on his popular blog in which he does not hold back on how ridiculous he thinks it is.

But Bonsie and Ralphie take it in stride. Sure, they would love to be at the game live because they are pros and want to do the best broadcast they can possibly do for the fans who are unable to watch the great coverage on television.

However, they also know the decision has been made and they have a job to do.

“We bring 100%,” Bowen told me when I saw at Game 1 on Monday.

The pride of Sudbury has been doing that for 43 years – two more than Foster Hewitt did it. Ralph, the pride of Sault Ste. Marie, has provided awesome colour for a quarter of a century.

They go where the gig is and they do a fantastic job of bringing these games to life.

And do they ever.

The level of intensity and entertainment is off the charts great. Not criticizing the TV crew, but there are many fans who would rather listen to Bonsey and Ralphie on the radio or even synchronize their TVs up to the radio and listen to the boys with their ears while watching the Hockey Night in Canada live shots with their eyes.

You can hardly tell they are not at the game. Maybe the reason Rogers doesn’t take them away from the studio is because they are just doing such a good job from there?

Yes, it’s true, sometimes they don’t get the right player’s name called because he isn’t in the camera shot, but for a bean counter somewhere they don’t really care.

They also bounce where these games can be heard. Is it on The Fan 590, TSN Radio on 1050 or 680 News? It seems to vary.

It’s hard to fathom all of this less-than-appropriate care is being done for economic reasons when there are players on the Leafs making $11 million a year and other guys who are not dressing making $2 million. Surely a couple of radio guys who could fly on the team charter are not going to cost the corporation more than a couple of hotel room fees.

Rogers Sportsnet has not returned a request for comment on this. But there’s no hard feelings. It’s their team, their show and their decision.

The one thing I don’t want to do by following up on what Berger has been pointing out is make it worse and have some executive say the heck with them and let’s apply an even higher hurdle like U.S. President Donald Trump might do. We don’t want to see that.

Instead, the goal is to tell the story of what’s happening with a view that maybe somebody at Sportsnet has a change of heart and sends the radio team down south for the next road games. If this playoff run goes even deeper, it’s going to be interesting as more and more Leafs fans takeover arenas around the NHL.

The reality of it is the people who have been around the Maple Leafs for a long time are a big part of the heart and soul of the franchise. The fans are like that. Jimmy Holmstrom on the organ is like that. Natalie Morris is becoming iconic now as the anthem singer – so much so that when she takes the subway to and from the games at the Scotiabank Arena, she gets serenaded with O Canada.

Fans love their team and all associated with it, and the suits have got to realize that and show these Toronto treasures and their audience a little more love and appreciation.

While critical of the lack of cheering of the home side last year, Bowen has told me and stated on the air that the fans at The Vault have been so loud during this year’s playoffs that they can be considered the seventh man on the ice.

It’s really been electric this year. Outstanding. Can you imagine how this city would react when the Maple Leafs finally end the curse and win that much-coveted Stanley Cup – a trophy that has eluded the Buds for 58 years now.

If it happens, Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph will be there to give you amazing play-by-play and colour – hopefully.