King on OHL: Watson’s past and present

WINDSOR, Ont. — The London Knights’ logo was subtle, a small sticker barely the size of a thumb on the side of the red hard hat worn by Austin Watson.

The former Windsor Spitfire was wearing his old team’s colours again, even if it bore the logo of his new team, the Spitfires’ hated rivals from London. But nothing represented his past and present more than the reception from the fans after his third period goal put the dagger in the home team’s hearts.

“Some boos, some cheers,” Watson said. “You’re obviously going to have some mixed emotions from the fans playing for another team, but I had some family in the stands and it was great to get that goal.”

Watson scored the game-winning goal midway through the final frame to give his Knights a 3-2 win and a 2-0 series lead. After poking the puck off Nick Ebert’s stick in the defensive zone, Watson rushed up the left side and fired a wrist shot over Jaroslav Pavelka’s glove into the top corner.

It wasn’t the play he was looking for near the end of his shift, but with the lane to the net more tempting than a pass back to Max Domi, Watson trusted his wrist shot.

“I knew I wasn’t getting around (Derek Holden) so I decided to hopefully just use him as a screen and luckily enough it ended up going where I wanted it to,” he said.

“That was one of my favourite goals I’ve scored.”

His teammates later gave him the red hard hat with the Knights’ logo, which he wore proudly during his visit with the media following the game.

“The player of the game that we thought played the best,” teammate Seth Griffith said. “He rightly deserved that goal at the end.”

Hidden away in a treasure chest of memories Watson keeps closed, now more than ever before, is a MasterCard Memorial Cup championship with the Spitfires as a rookie in 2009. The Knights were the enemies then, a team the Spitfires dispatched en route to their first Ontario Hockey League title in 21 years.

The Spitfires traded him a year later in a deal which landed Zack Kassian from the Peterborough Petes. Watson languished in a rebuilding program for the next two years in Peterborough before landing in London at this year’s trade deadline.

Although initially strange putting on the uniform of a team he once despised, it couldn’t be a better fit now as he chases another championship in his final season.

“I got to see what it was like from the other end,” he said. “It’s nice to be in that type of rivalry again.

“I still love playing here.”

He’s averaging more than a point per game since being acquired by the Knights, but his offensive game came under some scrutiny after finishing the regular season without a point in his final six games. Watson poked fun at the fact his lack of production has been noted by the local media.

“Obviously, I’ve put up blanks for the last couple weeks here and that just seemed to be my luck lately,” he said of the post he hit earlier in the game. “Fortunately enough, I was able to put one away and that ended up being a pretty big goal for us.”

For every point he tallies, Watson’s biggest contribution stems from his physical play and his fearless approach to blocking shots. The product of Ann Arbor, Mich. must have a high pain threshold considering he still sacrifices his body after once breaking an ankle standing in the firing line.

“You kind of forget about (the pain),” he said. “Once the adrenaline gets going, I think the pain really goes away.”

His dedication in the defensive end is perhaps even more valuable than the points he produces in the offensive zone. His selflessness in blocking shots creates problems for opposing teams.

“There’s some guys who aren’t willing to make a shot block, but he’s definitely one of those guys that will take it,” said Spitfires defenceman and former teammate Saverio Posa. “He really makes it frustrating for defencemen trying to get the puck through.”

Bumps and bruises will heal, but winning a championship lasts forever.

“Unfortunately, my Windsor days are long gone, but to get a chance to play for a contender again and play for a team with a promising future in the playoffs and get to experience this rivalry again – it’s great,” he said. “I’m extremely grateful that London wanted to pick me up.

“I’m enjoying every minute of it.”