Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

NHL Ref Brad Watson Retires At Home

03/24/2019 at 9:28am EDT

from Mike Chambers of the Denver Post,

Coloradoan Brad Watson called it a career Saturday, concluding a 23-year stint as an NHL referee in front of family and friends at the Pepsi Center. I feel fortunate to have been among those friends.

A scratch golfer, good hockey player, and terrific story-teller, Watson hand-picked his 1,393rd and final NHL game — choosing his adopted hometown team hosting the Chicago Blackhawks in concluding his 73-game, regular-season annual commitment.

“It’s a nice way to go out. It’s at home, where I’ve been for 19 years,” Watson said.

Watson, 57, worked 214 playoff games and eight Stanley Cup Finals, including 2013 when the Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in six games. His first playoff game was April 13, 2000, when the Avs hosted the Arizona Coyotes for Game 1 of a first-round series at the Pepsi Center.

The league’s oldest ref, Watson has close ties with former Chicago coach Joel Quenneville and Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic — two respectful relationships born in 1996 when Watson worked his first NHL game and the Avs were in their inaugural season in Colorado.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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