Bryan Watson

Bryan Joseph Watson (November 14, 1942 – July 8, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Oakland Seals, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, and Washington Capitals from 1963 to 1979, and briefly in the World Hockey Association with the Cincinnati Stingers. He later served as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers during the 1980–81 NHL season.

Early life Watson was born in Bancroft, Ontario, on November 14, 1942. His father was employed by the county; his mother was a housewife. There, he played junior hockey with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1960 to 1963, Watson was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Don Johns on June 8, 1965. He was then claimed the next day by the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL Intra-League Draft. He was also suspended for 10 games that season after fighting with Keith Magnuson of the Chicago Blackhawks on October 30, 1976.

Washington Capitals (1976–79) Watson was traded to the Washington Capitals for Greg Joly 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. He sustained a serious cut to his right arm from a chainsaw 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.

During the 1980s, Watson kept on playing hockey in an over-40 league in Mount Vernon. He was 78, and suffered from pneumonia before his death. Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1960–61 Peterborough Petes OHA-Jr. 18 0 1 1 4 — — — — — 1961–62 Peterborough Petes OHA-Jr. 50 3 16 19 129 — — — — — 1962–63 Peterborough Petes OHA-Jr. 49 9 22 31 80 6 0 3 3 10 1962–63 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EPHL — — — — — 3 1 1 2 0 1963–64 Montreal Canadiens NHL 39 0 2 2 18 6 0 0 0 2 1963–64 Omaha Knights CPHL 9 1 1 2 12 — — — — — 1964–65 Montreal Canadiens NHL 5 0 1 1 7 — — — — — 1964–65 Quebec Aces AHL 64 1 16 17 186 5 0 0 0 35 1965–66 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 2 7 9 133 12 2 0 2 30 1966–67 Detroit Red Wings NHL 48 0 1 1 66 — — — — — 1966–67 Memphis Wings CPHL 16 1 3 4 76 — — — — — 1967–68 Montreal Canadiens NHL 12 0 1 1 9 — — — — — 1967–68 Cleveland Barons AHL 12 2 4 6 22 — — — — — 1967–68 Houston Apollos CPHL 50 2 37 39 293 — — — — — 1968–69 Oakland Seals NHL 50 2 3 5 97 — — — — — 1968–69 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 18 0 4 4 35 — — — — — 1969–70 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 61 1 9 10 189 10 0 0 0 17 1969–70 Baltimore Clippers AHL 5 1 2 3 8 — — — — — 1970–71 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 43 2 6 8 119 — — — — — 1971–72 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 75 3 17 20 212 4 0 0 0 21 1972–73 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 69 1 17 18 179 — — — — — 1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 38 1 4 5 137 — — — — — 1973–74 St. Louis Blues NHL 11 0 1 1 19 — — — — — 1973–74 Detroit Red Wings NHL 21 0 4 4 99 — — — — — 1974–75 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 1 13 14 238 — — — — — 1975–76 Detroit Red Wings NHL 79 0 18 18 322 — — — — — 1976–77 Detroit Red Wings NHL 14 0 1 1 39 — — — — — 1976–77 Washington Capitals NHL 56 1 14 15 91 — — — — — 1977–78 Washington Capitals NHL 79 3 11 14 167 — — — — — 1978–79 Washington Capitals NHL 20 0 1 1 36 — — — — — 1978–79 Cincinnati Stingers WHA 21 0 2 2 56 3 0 1 1 2 NHL totals 878 17 135 152 2,212 32 2 0 2 70 WHA totals 21 0 2 2 56 3 0 1 1 2

Coaching record Team Year Regular season Post season G W L T Pts Finish ResultEDM1980-8118495(13)4th in Smythe Source: