Leafs announce the passing of franchise icon Paul Morris

The 'Voice' of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been silenced

Longtime Maple Leafs Gardens public address announcer Paul Morris has died peacefully at age 86.

Morris, whose dispassionate, somewhat monotone voice, is instantly recognizable for generations of Leafs fans as Morris held his job for nearly 4 decades, calling over 1,500 consecutive games at Maple Leafs Gardens from 1961 until 1999. On Thursday, he passed away peacefully with his loving wife Marion at his side.

“His voice was synonymous with the Gardens,” former captain Darryl Sittler told the Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby earlier today. “It’s true that players thought they’d truly made the NHL when they heard him announce their name. He was such a nice man, too.” 

Morris and his voice were synonymous with hockey at Maple Leaf Gardens and when the arena closed in 1999, Morris thanks fans for sharing their "home" with him.