Leafs announcer slams home crowd as ‘very disappointing’

Longtime Toronto Maple Leafs radio announcer Joe Bowen wasn’t shy about his frustration with a listless crowd at Scotiabank Arena Wednesday night, as the team dropped game three of its first-round playoff series with the Boston Bruins.

Bereft of many opportunities for his signature “Holy Mackinaw” goal call as the Leafs skaters were held to just two goals — continuing a recent trend over the last several playoff games where the team can’t seem to score — Bowen teed off on the crowd for being quiet.

“The idea of going to any sporting event to support the home team is to be PRO ACTIVE!!,” Bowen wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“Give the team energy when they need it … not sitting down waiting to be REACTIVE. The players can’t say it but I will tonight’s crowd was VERY DISAPPOINTING.”

Criticism of quiet crowds at Scotiabank Arena is nothing new. Though Leaf fans travel well and tend to take over some visiting arenas in boisterous fashion (see Buffalo and Ottawa especially), Scotiabank Arena is often considered a comparatively reserved rink.

Many fans responded to Bowen with an age-old criticism — that lower bowl seats are reserved for corporate types because they’re incredibly expensive:

Others pointed out that the team hasn’t exactly given fans much to cheer about over the last few years:

The Bruins have had the Leafs’ number in the playoffs over the last decade, beating the team in seven games in 2019, 2018, and famously in 2013 in the “it was 4-1” third period comeback debacle.

Boston…