Bryan Joseph Watson (November 14, 1942 – July 8, 2021) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

who played 16 seasons in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). He played for the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

Oakland Seals The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967 to 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The ...

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

, and

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

from 1963 to 1979, and briefly in the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

with the

Cincinnati Stingers The Cincinnati Stingers were an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979 and in the Central Hockey League during the 1979–80 season. Their home arena was Riverfront Coliseum. They are th ...

. He later served as head coach of the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

during the

1980–81 NHL season The 1980–81 NHL season was the 64th season of the National Hockey League. The Flames relocated from Atlanta to Calgary. The New York Islanders were the top regular season team and the top playoff team, winning their second consecutive Stanley ...

Early life

Watson was born in

Bancroft, Ontario Bancroft () is a town located on the York River (Ontario), York River in Hastings County in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was first settled in the 1850s by descendants of the United Empire Loyalists and Irish immigrants. From the mid-1950s ...

, on November 14, 1942. His father was employed by the county; his mother was a housewife. To expand his sporting opportunities, Watson moved to

Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...

, when he was 13 to live with his grandparents. There, he played junior hockey with the

Peterborough Petes The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played at the Peterborough Memorial Centre in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league. ...

of the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...

from 1960 to 1963, under the tutelage of head coach

Scotty Bowman William Scott Bowman (born September 18, 1933) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey head coach. He holds the record for most wins in National Hockey League (NHL) history, with 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup ...

Playing career

Montreal Canadiens (1963–65)

Watson signed with the

and made his NHL debut during the

1963–64 NHL season The 1963–64 NHL season was the 47th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams played 70 games each. The Toronto Maple Leafs won their third consecutive Stanley Cup by defeating the Detroit Red Wings four games to three in the final serie ...

. He played in 39 games in the regular season and six games in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

. In Watson's second year, he appeared in only five games with Montreal and spent the bulk of the season with the AHL's

Quebec Aces The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. History The Aces were founded in 1928 by Anglo-Canadian Pulp and Paper Mills, the name Aces stan ...

, where he played with Doug Harvey. Watson was traded to the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

for

Don Johns Donald Ernest Johns (December 13, 1937 – July 8, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 153 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Minnesota North Stars between 196 ...

on June 8, 1965. He was then claimed the next day by the

in the

NHL Intra-League Draft The NHL intra-league was an annual draft held by the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1952 to 1975. The intra-league draft was created to help address the league’s competitive balance issues during the Original Six era, as the Detroit Red Wing ...

Detroit Red Wings (1965–67)

During his first year with the Red Wings in 1965–66, Watson played all 70 games in the regular season, during which he scored his first NHL goal and led the team in penalty minutes. He also appeared in all twelve playoff games for Detroit, scoring two goals – the only playoff goals he scored in his whole career – and helping the Red Wings advance to the

Stanley Cup Finals The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, ) is the annual championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The winner is awarded the Stanley Cup, North America's oldest professional spo ...

against his former team the Canadiens. In 1966–67 Watson split his time between the Red Wings and the

Memphis Wings The Memphis Wings were a professional ice hockey team in Memphis, Tennessee. They played from 1964–67 in the Central Professional Hockey League. As their name suggested, they were a farm team of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings. History The Red ...

, Detroit's farm team in the CPHL.

Montreal Canadiens (1967–68)

Watson was left unprotected by the Red Wings in the

1967 NHL Expansion Draft The 1967 NHL expansion draft was held on June 6, 1967, in the ballroom of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's six expansion teams for the 1967–68 season: the California Seal ...

. The

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

consequently selected him as their fifteenth pick. That same day the North Stars traded Watson to Montreal for three young prospects,

Bill Plager William Ronald Plager (July 6, 1945 — January 3, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. Plager started his National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Minnesota North Stars in 1967–68 NHL season, 1967. He also played for th ...

, Leo Thiffault and

Barrie Meissner Barrie Michael Meissner (born July 26, 1946) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. He played 6 games in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars during the 1967–68 and 1968–69 seasons. The rest of his career, which lasted ...

. Watson appeared in only a dozen games with the Canadiens in the 1967–68 season, registering just one assist and nine penalty minutes. He played the rest of the season in the minors, first for the Cleveland Barons in the AHL (12 games) and then the majority of the season with the

Houston Apollos The Houston Apollos were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Houston, Texas. They played in the Central Hockey League from 1965 to 1969, and then from 1979 to 1981. History From 1965 to 1969, they were a farm team of the NHL's Montreal ...

in the CPHL.

Oakland Seals and the Pittsburgh Penguins (1968–74)

Watson was traded to the Oakland Seals on June 28, 1968, in exchange for

Tom Thurlby Thomas Newman Thurlby (born November 9, 1938) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who briefly played in the National Hockey League for the Oakland Seals The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that c ...

and a first-round draft pick in 1972. After playing fifty games for the Seals in the 1968–69 season Watson was sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a trade involving six players. Watson spent most of the next six seasons with the Penguins. He had the best offensive season of his career in 1971–72 when he scored three goals and twenty points. He also led the Penguins in penalty minutes in three of his four full seasons with the club and led the NHL in that statistic with 215 in 1971–72.

Detroit Red Wings (1974–76)

Watson started the 1973–74 season with the Penguins, before being traded to the

on January 17, 1974. He played just 11 games with the team before returning to Detroit in a six-player trade less than a month later on February 14. He accumulated a career-high of 322 penalty minutes in 1975–76, second only to Steve Durbano with 370. He was also suspended for 10 games that season after fighting with

Keith Magnuson Keith Arlen Magnuson (April 27, 1947 – December 15, 2003) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman from Wadena, Saskatchewan who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1969 and 1979. Magnuson played 589 career NHL games, ...

of the

on October 30, 1976.

Washington Capitals (1976–79)

Watson was traded to the Washington Capitals for

Greg Joly Gregory James Joly (born May 30, 1954) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings. He won the 1974 Memorial Cup with the Regina Pats and th ...

several weeks into the 1976–77 regular season. In three seasons with the Capitals, he played 155 games and served 294 minutes in penalties. Watson received the Charlie Conacher Humanitarian Award in 1978 for his contributions to the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

. He sustained a serious cut to his right arm from a

chainsaw A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable handheld power saw, power saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. Modern chainsaws are typically gasoline or electric and are used in activities such as t ...

in July 1978, while assisting his neighbour in chopping down a tree. However, he avoided long-term injury due to the uncommon nerve structure in his arm. During the 1978–79 regular season, he left the NHL to join the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association, with whom he ended his playing career.

Coaching career

Watson was appointed head coach of the

in 1980, at the start of the franchise's second season in the NHL, replacing

Glen Sather Glen Cameron Sather (born September 2, 1943) is a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and executive. He is the current senior advisor and alternate governor of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the Rangers' general m ...

who was promoted to president and general manager. However, when the team posted a record of four wins, nine losses, and five ties to start the season, Watson was demoted to an assistant by Sather, who resumed head coaching duties. Watson left the team after the season and never returned to coaching.

Personal life and death

Watson was married to Lindy Wilson for 53 years until his death. Together, they had two children: Stephen and Lisa. Watson and Lindy opened Armand's pizza outlet in the Old Town section of

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, a suburb of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in 1983. Fifteen years later, the business's name was changed to Bugsy's, his nickname during his playing years. Watson sold his interest in the business in 2013. During the 1980s, Watson kept on playing hockey in an over-40 league in

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

. Watson died on July 8, 2021, at his home in St. Michaels, Maryland. He was 78, and suffered from pneumonia before his death.

Career statistics

Sources:

Coaching record

Source:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Bryan 1942 births 2021 deaths Baltimore Clippers players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey defencemen Cincinnati Stingers players Cleveland Barons (1937–1973) players Deaths from pneumonia in Maryland Detroit Red Wings players Edmonton Oilers coaches Houston Apollos players Hull-Ottawa Canadiens players Ice hockey people from Ontario Memphis Wings players Montreal Canadiens players Oakland Seals players Omaha Knights (CHL) players People from Hastings County Peterborough Petes (ice hockey) players Pittsburgh Penguins players Quebec Aces (AHL) players St. Louis Blues players Stanley Cup champions Washington Capitals players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen