Montreal Canadiens (1963–65) Watson signed with the
Montreal Canadiens and made his NHL debut during 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. Watson was traded to the
Chicago Blackhawks for
Don Johns on June 8, 1965. He was then claimed the next day by the
Detroit Red Wings in the
NHL Intra-League Draft. He was also suspended for 10 games that season after fighting with
Keith Magnuson of the
Chicago Blackhawks on October 30, 1976.
Washington Capitals (1976–79) Watson was traded to the Washington Capitals for
Greg Joly several weeks into the
1976–77 regular season. In three seasons with the Capitals, he played 155 games and served 294 minutes in penalties. Watson received the
Charlie Conacher Humanitarian Award in 1978 for his contributions to the
Special Olympics. He sustained a serious cut to his right arm from a
chainsaw in July 1978, while assisting his neighbour in chopping down a tree. However, he avoided long-term injury due to the uncommon nerve structure in his arm. During the
1978–79 regular season, he left the NHL to join the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association, with whom he ended his playing career. ==Coaching career==