# Tim Watters

Timothy John Watters (born July 25, 1959) is a Canadian former ice hockey defenceman.
Tim Watters was a rarity in the National Hockey League (NHL), a physical defenceman who stood under 6 feet tall and under 200 pounds. He played in 2 Olympics and well over 700 NHL games, quietly playing a solid though unspectacular role from 1981 through 1995 with the Winnipeg Jets and Los Angeles Kings, two teams that didn't enjoy much success or fanfare. Not having the size to out-muscle opponents, Watters learned to be in perfect position and angled shooters out of harm's way. He read the oncoming rushes very well, and thanklessly cut off passing lanes and blocked shots. He learned to tie up players' sticks and was one of the few modern players to master the hip check.
He retired from the NHL as a player after the 1995 season. He served as an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins during the 1996 season, and as head coach for the NCAA Division I Michigan Tech Huskies from 1996–97 to 1999–2000.
Watters currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona, where he works in the commercial real estate business. He also coaches youth hockey in nearby Tempe.

## Career statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1975–76 | Merritt Centennials | BCHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1976–77 | Kamloops Braves | BCHL | 60 | 10 | 38 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1976–77 | Kamloops Chiefs | WCHL | 15 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977–78 | Michigan Tech University | WCHA | 37 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1978–79 | Michigan Tech University | WCHA | 38 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1979–80 | Canadian National Team | Intl | 56 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1980–81 | Michigan Tech University | WCHA | 43 | 12 | 38 | 50 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981–82 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 69 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 97 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 1981–82 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982–83 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 77 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 98 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1983–84 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 74 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 169 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1984–85 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 63 | 2 | 20 | 22 | 74 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| 1985–86 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 56 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 97 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1986–87 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 63 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 119 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| 1987–88 | Canadian National Team | Intl | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1988–89 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 76 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 168 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 1989–90 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 62 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 92 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1990–91 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 45 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 92 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 1991–92 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 37 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 92 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 1991–92 | Phoenix Roadrunners | IHL | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 22 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 30 |
| 1992–93 | Phoenix Roadrunners | IHL | 31 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1993–94 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 60 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1994–95 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1994–95 | Phoenix Roadrunners | IHL | 36 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 58 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 741 | 26 | 151 | 177 | 1289 | 82 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 115 |

### International

| Year | Team | Event | | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1980 | Canada | OG | | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1983 | Canada | WC | | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 1988 | Canada | OG | | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Senior totals | Senior totals | Senior totals | Senior totals | 24 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |

## Head coaching record

Statistics overview :
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason |
| Michigan Tech Huskies (WCHA) (1996–2000) ||||||
| 1996–97 | Michigan Tech | 8–27–4 | 5–23–4 | 10th | WCHA First Round |
| 1997–98 | Michigan Tech | 17–20–3 | 10–17–1 | 7th | WCHA First Round |
| 1998–99 | Michigan Tech | 9–28–1 | 9–19–0 | 8th | WCHA First Round |
| 1999–00 | Michigan Tech | 4–34–0 | 2–26–0 | 10th | WCHA First Round |
| 2000–01 | Michigan Tech | 1–7–1† | 1–7–0† | – | – |
| Michigan Tech: | Michigan Tech: | 39–116–9 | 27–92–5 | | |
| Total: | Total: | 39–116–9 | | | |
| National champion   Postseason invitational champion   Conference regular season champion   Conference regular season and conference tournament champion  Division regular season champion  Division regular season and conference tournament champion  Conference tournament champion ||||||
† Watters was fired in November and replaced by Mike Sertich

## Awards and honours

| Award | Year |
| All-WCHA First Team | 1980–81 |
| AHCA West All-American | 1980–81 |
| All-NCAA All-Tournament Team | 1981 |