Former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager Bill Watters has died at the age of 83.
Watters passed away in his hometown of Orillia on Sunday.
“Bill was an important part of my time as a player with the Maple Leafs and someone I will remember with affection,” wrote Maple Leafs senior executive advisor Mats Sundin in a statement on behalf of the team. “Personally, his support and kindness meant a great deal to me and I will always cherish the relationship we fostered during our time together.”
“He will be missed.”
The longtime hockey executive spent 12 seasons with the Maple Leafs after being hired by then GM Cliff Fletcher in 1991. A former player agent, Watters transitioned into broadcasting, providing colour commentary alongside Joe Bowen on Maple Leafs radio games.
“For so many years we partnered together on the air but we were sole mates off it. He taught me so much about the Buisness [sic] of hockey,” Bowen wrote in a social media post.
Watters also co-hosted Hockey Central on Rogers Sportsnet, The Bill Watters Show on AM 640 Toronto Radio and was the co-host of Prime Time Sports with Bob McCowan on the Fan590 when the show debuted in 1989.
While Watters was known for his work in hockey, he began his sports career as a football player, starring for the University of Toronto as a linebacker.
He was selected second overall by the Toronto Argonauts in the 1964 CFL draft, but never played a game after a knee injury in training camp.
Watters was elected to the Orillia Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.
Files from Sportsnet.ca were used in this report
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