Completing 44 seasons calling the Maple Leafs on radio and TV, Joe Bowen is retiring this spring.

During this final season for the Hall of Famer, Postmedia will tap into Joe’s vast storybook of select Leafs opponents, many famous players and some bygone NHL arenas. With the Leafs in Chicago on Saturday, Joe reminisces about where he called his first NHL game.

No Original Six NHL rink gave players, fans and media more of a collective adrenaline rush than a Blackhawks game at Chicago Stadium — period, paragraph.

“Absolutely my favourite road building,” Bowen said of the Madhouse on Madison, home to the Hawks from 1929-94. “The hair on the back of your neck stood up during the U.S. anthem and the start of the game. You had that low roof, great fans and, because of where our booth was above

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