Bryan Watson—A Quick Taste Of The Show

In sports, a brief appearance with a particular team is referred to as "a cup of coffee." For former NHLer Bryan "Bugsy" Watson, his coaching tenure with the Edmonton Oilers was just that.

The 1980-81 season was just Edmonton’s second as a member of the National Hockey League (NHL) and Watson, from Bancroft, Ontario, started the year in charge of the bench. Unfortunately, it would not be a lengthy tenure. After a mere 18 games, the Oilers had gotten off to a disappointing 4-9-5 start and Watson’s good friend Glen Sather, the man who had hired him for the job in the first place, soon replaced Watson.

"(Owner Peter) Pocklington had told Glen to hire a coach," said Watson. "Glen was reluctant. He came to me and I said I wasn’t qualified."

"I played against Bugsy," said former Oiler captain Al Hamilton. "He was a good guy. Just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

It was a difficult time for the young franchise. There was an overabundance of assistant coaches and goaltender Ron Low, acquired the previous season, was hurt during training camp, leaving the Oilers vulnerable as the season began. Once under Sather again, Edmonton would go on to make the playoffs that season, pulling off an amazing sweep of the powerhouse Montreal Canadiens in the opening round best-of-five series.

It was ironic that the Oilers’ playoff victory was in part a result of the defensive job Dave Hunter had done shadowing Montreal sniper Guy Lafleur, much like Watson had been renowned for in his playing days. Watson was a well-travelled NHL journeyman (878 games), playing in every corner of the continent from Pittsburgh to Oakland, but one of his crowning achievements came back in the 1966 Stanley Cup playoffs when he skated for the Detroit Red Wings. The young rearguard completely tied up Chicago Blackhawks’ star Bobby Hull, and propelled the Wings into the Finals. While playing under Toe Blake in Montreal, Watson gained experience playing against Hull, one of the NHL’s most prolific scorers. After Hull had killed Detroit in game one, Watson told his teammates he could do the job. The idea was to jam the passing lanes and to tie the Golden Jet up after he made a pass so he could not get involved in the play. The strategy worked perfectly.

"I shut him down in the series," says Watson. "I even out-scored him 2-1."

"That turned my whole life in hockey around."

The agitator was loved by teammates and received the "Bugsy" moniker from Detroit legends Gordie Howe and Andy Bathgate. Despite spending a short time in Edmonton, Watson was instrumental in helping the Oilers draft local product Mark Messier and Finnish superstar Jari Kurri, cornerstones of the dynasty.

"Peter wanted to know what my five-year program was," said Watson. "I said, ‘To win a few Stanley Cups."

After hockey, Watson got into the restaurant business and opened a sports bar in Alexandria, Virginia, aptly named Bugsy’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar.

"I got out of hockey, got into the private sector and have been having just as much fun as when I played," said Watson.

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