Paul Morris, former Leafs PA announcer, dies at 86

TORONTO – Paul Morris, who served arsenic the Toronto Maple Leafs PA announcer for 38 years, has died. He was 86.

Morris died Thursday successful Oshawa, Ont., aft a lengthy illness, according to the Mount Lawn Funeral Home and Cemetery successful Whitby, Ont.

Born June 28, 1938, successful Toronto, Morris spent his full moving vocation astatine Maple Leaf Gardens successful the dependable section arsenic good arsenic handling nationalist code duties.

Morris’s deadpan transportation provided the backdrop to generations of Maple Leaf fans.

Morris was astatine the microphone the past clip the Leafs won the Stanley Cup successful 1967, with Toronto defeating the visiting Montreal Canadiens 3-1 to triumph the bid successful six games.

“Clarence Campbell, the president of the National Hockey League, volition present contiguous the Stanley Cup to the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Morris said astatine the time.

“It’s home,” Morris told the CBC successful an interrogation that aired during Toronto’s last crippled astatine Maple Leaf Gardens connected Feb. 13, 1999. “It ever has been location due to the fact that my begetter (Doug, who became the Gardens’ main technician) started connected the gathering erstwhile they enactment the shovel successful the ground. And helium was present until helium died.

“So our family, our full life, close from the precise archetypal that I tin remember, revolved astir what was connected astatine the Gardens.”

Morris acknowledged sadness astatine the extremity of the Gardens.

“I besides admit that thing goes connected forever. Everything comes to an extremity sooner oregon later,” helium said.

Morris started with the inferior Marlies successful 1958 and was elevated successful 1961, succeeding Red Barber arsenic the Leafs’ PA announcer. Barber had served arsenic announcer from the building’s opening successful 1931.

Morris retired astatine the extremity of the 1998-99 season, giving mode to Andy Frost.

“I’m arrogant of it,” Morris, speaking of his occupation arsenic PA announcer, told the Toronto Star successful 2016. “I enjoyed having done it. It was a large job.”

Mike Ross became the Leafs’ 4th PA announcer, opening with the 2016-2017 season.

“His was the dependable I grew up proceeding connected Saturday nights sitting alongside my Grandpa.  RIP Mr. Morris,” Ross said successful a societal media post.

Morris is survived by Marion, his woman of 52 years.

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published Feb. 10, 2025.