Bryan Joseph Watson was born November 14, 1942 in Bancroft, Ontario. As a youngster growing up in the mining town of Bancroft, Ontario, Bryan Watson's father felt that his son's sporting options were too limited for his youthful ambition. To enrich his environment, he sent Bryan to live with his grandparents in Peterborough.
At the age of 13 he was recruited by the great Montreal Canadians to play in their renowned junior system with the Peterboro Petes. He played as a defenseman for 17 years. He started his career as a right defenseman for the Montreal Canadians in 1962. He played with the Detroit Red Wings, Oakland Seals, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals and Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association. In 878 NHL games, Watson scored 17 goals, had 135 assists, and amassed 2,212 penalty minutes. He earned his nickname "Bugsy" because of his aggressive playing. He won the Most Valuable Defenseman Award in 1967-68.
After retiring in 1979 Bryan and his wife Lindy opened Bugsy's Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar in Alexandria, Virginia. Since 1983 they have been running Bugsy's Pizza Restaurant together and it became a great place for fabulous food. Bryan and Lindy Watson opened the upstairs as a sports bar. The bar became an anchor for hockey in the Alexandria area. The bar is filled with photos of memorabilia from all sports, and became a must stop location for sports fans.
