IMAGE INFORMATION
EditJoseph Philippe Henri "Phil" Watson - Born April 24, 1914 in Montreal, Quebec - Died February 1, 1991 in Vancouver, British Columbia was a Canadian/American ice Hockey right winger, coach and general manager.
- Stanley Cup Champion 1940 with New York Rangers, 1944 with Montreal Canadiens.
- Prince of Wales Trophy Champion 1942 with New York Rangers, 1944 with Montreal Canadiens.
Watson made his NHL debut with New York Rangers on November 19, 1935 vs Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden in a 2-2 tie.
Watson scored his 1st NHL goal vs Tiny Thompson of Boston Bruins at 2:53 of 2nd period on November 17, 1936 at Boston Garden in a 6-1 Rangers win.
Watson scored his 1st NHL hat-trick vs Earl Robertson of New York Americans on January 5, 1941 at Madison Square Garden in a 6-2 Rangers win.
Watson was loaned to Montreal Canadiens on October 27, 1943 for the 1943-44 NHL season, where he helped the Canadiens win the Prince of Wales Trophy as NHL regular season champions and the 1944 Stanley Cup championship. He scored the game winning goal in game 3 of the finals vs Chicago and Montreal swept the Black Hawks in 4 games for the championship.
He returned to the Rangers for the 1944-45 season, finishing his playing career there in 1948.
After retiring, Watson coached the New York Rovers from 1948 to 1951, then returned to Quebec, coaching junior teams for 5 seasons before returning to New York to coach the NHL Rangers from 1955 to 1959, the AHL Providence Reds for the 1960-61 season, then the Boston Bruins for 2 seasons 1961 to 1963, and back to the AHL, coaching the Buffalo Bisons from 1964 to 1966, and the Quebec Aces for the 1966-67 season.
Watson later finished his coaching career in the World hockey Association / WHA with the Philadelphia Blazers / Vancouver Blazers from 1972 to 1974.