Phil Watson

This article is about the ice hockey player. For the football (soccer) player, see Phil Watson (footballer).

Joseph Philippe Henri Watson (April 24, 1914 — February 1, 1991) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League. He played for the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers between 1936 and 1948, and coached the Rangers from 1955 to 1960 and the Boston Bruins from 1961 to 1963. He was born in Montreal, Quebec.

Phil Watson
Born	(1914-04-24)April 24, 1914 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died	February 1, 1991(1991-02-01) (aged 76) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers
Playing career	1935–1948

Coaching career

Soon after retiring as a player, Watson became a coach. He was head coach of:

• New York Rovers QSHL 1948–1949
• New York Rovers EHL 1950–1951
• Quebec Citadelles QJHL 1951–1952
• New York Rangers NHL 1955–56 to 1959–60
• Providence Reds AHL 1960–1961
• Boston Bruins NHL 1961-1963
• Buffalo Bisons AHL 1964–1966
• Quebec Aces AHL 1966–1967

Awards and achievements

• 1940 Stanley Cup championship (New York Rangers)
• 1944 Stanley Cup championship (Montreal Canadiens)

Personal life

He married a model named Helen Anderson on March 29, 1939 in New York.^[1] The couple had a daughter named Jan, who'd later appear in several films.

Legacy

In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Watson at No. 76 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.^[2]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1932–33	Montreal St. Francis Xavier	MCJHL		11	10	5	15	16		2	0	0	0	0
1933–34	Montreal St. Francis Xavier	MCJHL		16	7	6	13	14		—	—	—	—	—
1934–35	Montreal Jr. Royals	QJHL		19	7	7	14	24		7	1	2	3	4
1935–36	New York Rangers	NHL		24	0	2	2	24		—	—	—	—	—
1935–36	Philadelphia Ramblers	Can-Am		22	9	5	14	32		—	—	—	—	—
1936–37	New York Rangers	NHL		48	11	17	28	22		9	0	2	2	9
1937–38	New York Rangers	NHL		48	7	25	32	52		3	0	2	2	0
1938–39	New York Rangers	NHL		48	15	22	37	42		7	1	1	2	7
1939–40	New York Rangers	NHL		48	7	28	35	42		12	3	6	9	16
1940–41	New York Rangers	NHL		40	11	25	36	49		3	0	2	2	9
1941–42	New York Rangers	NHL		48	15	37	52	58		6	1	4	5	8
1942–43	New York Rangers	NHL		46	14	28	42	44		—	—	—	—	—
1943–44	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		44	17	32	49	61		9	3	5	8	16
1944–45	New York Rangers	NHL		45	11	8	19	24		—	—	—	—	—
1945–46	New York Rangers	NHL		49	12	14	26	43		—	—	—	—	—
1946–47	New York Rangers	NHL		48	6	12	18	17		—	—	—	—	—
1947–48	New York Rangers	NHL		54	18	15	33	54		5	2	3	5	2
NHL totals				590	144	265	409	532		54	10	25	35	67

Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular season						Post season
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Division rank	Result
NYR	1955–56	70	32	28	10	74	3rd in NHL	Lost in semi-finals
NYR	1956–57	70	26	30	14	66	4th in NHL	Lost in semi-finals
NYR	1957–58	70	32	25	13	77	2nd in NHL	Lost in semi-finals
NYR	1958–59	70	26	32	12	64	5th in NHL	DNQ
NYR	1959–60	15	3	9	3	9	6th in NHL	Fired
BOS	1961–62	70	15	47	8	38	6th in NHL	DNQ
BOS	1962–63	14	1	8	5	7	6th in NHL	Fired
PHI (WHA)	1972–73	71	37	34	0	74	3rd in East Division	Lost in first round
VAN (WHA)	1973–74	12	3	9	0	6	5th in West Division	Fired
NHL Total		379	135	179	65	335
WHA Total		83	40	43	0	80