Bryan Watson (ice hockey)

Watson began his junior hockey career with the Peterborough Petes under head coach Scotty Bowman. He became the Petes' team captain and was named the team's MVP in his final junior campaign. Watson signed a contract with the Montreal Canadiens and made his NHL debut in the 1963-64 NHL season. 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. 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, where head coach Bernie Geoffrion paired the 21-year-old blueliner with 39-year-old veteran Doug Harvey.

The Canadiens traded Watson to the Chicago Black Hawks on June 8, 1965. The next day the Detroit Red Wings selected him in the intra-league draft. In 1965-66, his first year with the Red Wings, he 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 ones he ever racked up in post-season play - and helping the Red Wings advance to the Stanley Cup Finals against his former team the Montreal Canadiens. In 1966-67 Watson split his time between the Red Wings and the Memphis Wings, Detroit's farm team in the CPHL.

1967-68 was an eventful year for Watson as it marked his return, albeit briefly, to the team with whom he started his professional career. Watson was left unprotected by the Red Wings in that year's expansion draft and the Minnesota North Stars selected him as their fifteenth pick. That same day the North Stars traded Watson to Montreal for three young prospects, Bill Plager, Leo Thiffault and Barrie Meissner. Watson appeared in only a dozen games with the Canadiens in 1967-68, registering just one assist and nine penalty minutes. He played the rest of the season in the minors, first briefly for the Cleveland Barons in the AHL and then the bulk of the year with the Houston Apollos in the CPHL.

On June 28, 1968, Watson was dealt by the Canadiens to the Oakland Seals for Tom Thurlby 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.

In 1973-74, after starting the season in Pittsburgh and a very brief 11 game stop with the St. Louis Blues, Watson found himself in Detroit for the second time in his career. In 1975-76 he served a career high of 322 penalty minutes, second only to Steve Durbano with 370.

A few weeks into the 1976-77 regular season, Watson was traded to the Washington Capitals for Greg Joly. In three seasons with the Capitals, he played 155 games and served 294 minutes in penalties. During the 1978-79, Watson left the NHL to join the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association, with whom he ended his playing career.