PITTSBURGH (93.7 the Fan) On Friday afternoon it was announced that the hockey world lost a member of its family.
Former Pittsburgh Penguin and Washington Capital Bryan “Bugsy” Watson passed away Thursday at the age of 78.
Watson played 877 career games in the NHL as a defenseman with multiple teams and was more of a grinder and tough guy rather than a scorer.
Beginning his NHL career during the Original 6 era with the Montreal Canadiens in 1963, Watson played with the Detroit Red Wings, Oakland Seals, Penguins, St. Louis Blues, and Capitals.
With the Penguins, Watson played in 303 games and scored 65 points.
What is really impressive in his time in Pittsburgh, however, is his penalty minute numbers.
Watson accumulated 871 minutes in penalties with the Penguins, good for fifth in franchise history.
In 1971-72 with the Penguins, Watson led the NHL with 212 PIMs.
For a career Watson racked up 2,214 PIMs, given the rough and tumble history of the NHL its impressive that his number sits at 42nd all-time.
Tough guys like Claude Lemieux and Sean Avery don’t rank that high.
After Watson retired he returned to the Washington D.C. area and opened a popular bar and pizzeria.