Longtime NHL Exec and beloved media personality dead at 83
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Bill Watters, a longtime NHL executive, player agent and broadcaster, has passed away at the age of 83, TSN reported Sunday. The news closes the book on a career that touched nearly every corner of Canadian hockey.
Watters served as assistant general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1991 to 2003, a stretch that included deep playoff runs in 1993 and 1994. His time as assistant GM began in 1991, the same year Cliff Fletcher became president and GM.
That tenure also included the creation of the Toronto Rock lacrosse team, which Watters started in part to make better use of Maple Leaf Gardens.
A Familiar Voice on Toronto Airwaves
Watters built a second act in media and became a regular presence for Toronto hockey fans.
He was the first co-host of Prime Time Sports alongside Bob McCown, and he is credited with giving McCown the nickname Bobcat.
He later hosted The Bill Watters Show on AM640 and appeared on Hockey Central on Rogers Sportsnet.
From the Gridiron to the Front Office
Born in Orillia, Ont., Watters played football for the Toronto Varsity Blues from 1961 to 1964 and earned league all-star honours at linebacker in 1963 and 1964.
He also served as a team co-captain, and he is a member of the Varsity Blues Hall of Fame. After graduating, he worked as a teacher before turning to professional sports as a broadcaster, player agent and assistant general manager of the Maple Leafs.
Few people in Canadian hockey worked in as many roles as Watters did. He was a football standout, teacher, agent, executive, lacrosse builder and broadcaster, and he also served as an assistant manager with Canada's men's national team.
For many Maple Leafs supporters, his voice was part of the soundtrack of hockey season in Toronto.
The cause of death and details on any arrangements were not immediately available. Tributes from across the hockey and media world are expected to follow as news of his passing spreads.
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