Next up on our Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame series is left-handed defenseman Joe Watson, brother of Jimmy, who was an incredible force for the team and one of the best they ever had. The two-time Stanley Cup champion spent 11 of his 14 seasons in the NHL with the Orange and Black, showing his loyalty.
Watson was originally a Boston Bruin but made his way over to the Flyers in their inaugural season. He was a fantastic addition to the roster and one that would eventually be a move that the Bruins regretted. But what made the physical, undersized 5-foot-10 defender so important to the Flyers?
An Original Flyer
Watson finds himself in the exclusive club of original Flyers players. He was selected by the Orange and Black in the 1967 Expansion Draft, making him a coveted piece. And that was for good reason. The defenseman was a regular for Boston with 73 games of NHL experience heading into his 1967-68 campaign.
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Going from one of the stacked Original Six teams to an expansion squad could have hurt his career, but it seemingly prolonged it — he reached new heights with the Flyers starting with their first season in the NHL. He had career highs in goals (five), assists (14), points (19), plus/minus (plus-11), and penalty minutes (56) at that point despite playing in just four more contests than the season before.
The Flyers did make the playoffs in his inaugural season but did not win a series. He had a goal and an assist for two points as well as 28 penalty minutes, so he was contributing the best he could. Very early, this pick was looking like a good one for Philadelphia.
Unfortunately, Watson was unable to match his 19-point high over his next four seasons, but they were also pretty uneventful in terms of Flyer history. In 236 total games from 1968-1972, he had double-digit points in each campaign, putting up 11 goals and 33 assists for 44 points. While his minus-30 rating wasn’t great, he did so on an expansion team that didn’t have too many expectations to start. But things would change for him fast.
Watson Cements Himself in Flyers Lore
As Watson got better, so did the Flyers. In 1972-73, they had arguably their best roster to that point with players such as goaltender Bernie Parent and forwards Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, and Rick MacLeish just to name a few of the stars on the team at that time.
Watson set a new high in points with 26, putting up two goals and 24 assists to achieve that in just 63 matches. His plus-29 rating was also the best he had to that point. He and the Flyers both won their first-ever NHL playoff series that season, but Philadelphia was bounced in the second round. It was just the start of something great.
Watson wasn’t at his best in 1973-74, but the Flyers were. They won 50 games that season and cruised to the postseason with him contributing 18 points and a plus-28 rating. Philadelphia then coasted to the Stanley Cup Final and upset his former Bruins club in six games, winning every single home contest in Philadelphia at the Spectrum to do so.
The next season is when he finally got some individual recognition. He played all 80 games and put up six goals and 17 assists for 23 points and had a plus-42 rating, earning the first All-Star nod of his career. In the postseason, he went back-to-back, winning the second Stanley Cup of his career. He played all 17 playoff games en route to another legendary season in the history of the Flyers.
Watson never won another Stanley Cup in his career, but his next two seasons were great — he had six goals and 48 assists for 54 points in 142 games, having a plus-85 rating between the two campaigns. He got All-Star honors for the second time in his career in 1976-77.
The End of Watson’s Career Begins New Path
Watson’s 1977-78 campaign was his last with the Flyers and essentially wrapped up his NHL career. He played 65 games, scored 14 points, and had a plus-23 rating, but a leg injury that season ended his career prematurely at the age of 35, retiring after a 16-game stint with the Colorado Rockies in 1978-79.
On the gruesome injury, Watson stated to The Pro Hockey Alumni Podcast, “I laid in the hospital off-and-on for a year-and-a-half. I had nine operations in my right leg,” following that up with “I had walked on my right toes for 24 years. Because my [right] leg was two-and-a-half inches shorter than the left leg.”
He didn’t let his injury stop him from changing the game of hockey, however. Since he retired, he has been a major part of the Flyers’ organization. He has had roles directly impacting the team in coaching and scouting. Going from a top-end blueliner to an important figure for the Flyers off the ice, his impact cannot be understated.
In all, Watson finished his tenure with the Flyers with 36 goals, 162 assists, 198 points, a plus-188 rating, and 399 penalty minutes in 746 games. He is in the top 10 for the Flyers in terms of games played, defenseman assists, defenseman points, and defenseman plus/minus. He earned his induction to the team’s Hall of Fame in 1996, getting the honor right after Tim Kerr in 1994.