Harry Watson (ice hockey, born 1898)

Harold Ellis "Moose" Watson (July 14, 1898 – September 11, 1957) was a Canadian amateur ice hockey player. He was a member of the Toronto Granites team that won a gold medal for Canada in ice hockey at the 1924 Winter Olympics.[1]

This article is about the amateur hockey player from the 1910s and 1920s. For the professional hockey player from the 1940s and 1950s, see Harry Watson (ice hockey b. 1923).
Harry Watson
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1963
Watson with the Toronto Granites
Born (1898-07-14)July 14, 1898
St. John's, Newfoundland, British Empire
Died September 11, 1957(1957-09-11) (aged 59)
London, Ontario, Canada
Position Left wing
Played for Toronto Nationals
Toronto Marlboros
Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club
Toronto Granites
Toronto Dentals
Toronto Aura Lee
National team  Canada
Playing career 1913–1932
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games
1924 Chamonix Team competition

Early years

Born in St. John's, Newfoundland, Watson also lived in England and Winnipeg, Manitoba before moving to Toronto at the age of 15. He played for the Whitby Athletics in the Ontario Hockey Association. He then played for St. Andrews College and was a first team all-star in 1915. Watson played for the Toronto Aura Lee before serving in the Canadian military during World War I.

Royal Flying Corps

He served in the Royal Flying Corps as a fighter ace. He flew a Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a to victory over an Albatros D.V on 25 January 1918, sharing the win with fellow Canadian Frank H. Taylor. By the time he scored his sixth and final win on 4 July, he had destroyed another enemy plane and sent four more down out of control.[2]

Playing career

After the war, Watson joined the Toronto Dentals in a playoff series against the Hamilton Tigers, which the Tigers won. For the 1919–20 season, he joined the new Toronto Granites, the OHA team from the Toronto Granite Club. Led by Watson, the Granites won the Allan Cup in 1921–22 and 1922–23, with Watson named a first-team all-star in both seasons. They then represented Canada at the 1924 Winter Olympics, winning the ice hockey gold medal. At the Olympics, Watson scored 36 goals[3] in five games as the Canadian team outscored the opposition 132-3 over six games. In one game against Switzerland, Watson scored 13 goals.[4]

He turned down several lucrative offers to play professionally in the National Hockey League. Charlie Querrie, manager of the Toronto St. Patricks, offered Watson $10,000 to join his team for the 1924–25 season,[5] but Watson declined. His Granites teammate Hooley Smith would have a 17-year NHL career, but Watson wanted to enter the business world and retired as a player in 1924.

Coaching career

In 1930, he became coach of the Toronto National Sea Fleas senior amateur team. During the 1931 playoff season, Watson refereed several OHA games. In December 1931, during his second season behind the bench for the Sea Fleas, Watson made a brief comeback as a player at the age of 33 after one of his players was unable to make a road trip. As coach, Watson guided the team to the Allan Cup in 1932.

Honours

Watson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962[6] and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1998.

References
  • Hockey Hall of Fame (2003). Honoured Members: Hockey Hall of Fame. Bolton, Ontario: Fenn Publishing. ISBN 1-55168-239-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  1. The Official Olympic Games Companion: The Complete Guide to the Olympic Winter Games 1998 Edition, London – Washington: Brassey’s Sports, 1998, p. 128, ISBN 1-85753-244-9
  2. http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/canada/watson1.php Retrieved on 2 May 2010.
  3. Story #53: Harry Watson scores at will in Olympics. International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  4. IIHF Top 100 Hockey Stories of All Time, Szymon Szemberg and Andrew Podnieks, p.76, Fenn Publishing, Bolton, Ontario, Canada, 2008, ISBN 978-1-55168-358-4
  5. "Still on the trail of Harry Watson," Toronto Star, December 16, 1924, p. 10.
  6. Hockey Hall of Fame 2003, p. 59.
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