Early rumblings of a replacement for the legendary Joe Bowen.

Legendary voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs Joe Bowen announced his retirement earlier this year and now it will be up to someone else to fill Bowen's shoes and Holy Mackinaw will those be some big shoes to fill.

Although there hasn't been an official announcement of any kind just yet, a new report from Jonah Siegel has revealed that longtime voice of the Toronto Marlies, Todd Crocker, is expected to be the man who will fill in for Bowen on the radio side of things. That is to say Crocker is expected to join Jim Ralph on the radio for the Maple Leafs broadcast for the upcoming 2026-27 National Hockey League regular season.

Siegel has broken a number of big stories already this summer, including reporting that Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland was headed to the Nashville Predators weeks before the move was officially announced, so I don't doubt his sources on this matter.

The reaction to the announcement has been somewhat mixed however which is understandable given that Bowen is held in such high regard by so many fans, but it's more than that. Many fans have gone out of their way to express their distaste for Crocker's style, and it will be interesting to see how the wider public responds to this choice.

Others however have expressed their delight at the news.

Since this one seems so contentious I would love to hear all of your thoughts in the comments. Was this a good hire? Was it not? Be sure to let me know how you feel about this decision.