In Saturday's win over the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings forward Austin Watson had five times as many minutes in penalties (15) as he did on the ice (3:06), but the six-foot-four, 238-pound winger made his presence felt in the form of an early fight that helped energize the Red Wings in the opening minutes.
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Not quite a minute after Alex DeBrincat fought Andrew Peeke, Watson dropped the gloves with Jakub Lauko. Watson hammered Lauko with right hands at hand center ice, wrestled him to the ice, then saluted the Little Caesars Arena crowd as he skated over to the penalty box to join DeBrincat.
Austin Watson makes LIGHT WORK of Jakub Lauko 😳👊 pic.twitter.com/Jj7jXzPnbI
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 30, 2025
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There are few ways to endear yourself to a team or a fanbase as straightforward as a fight. As coach Todd McLellan put it, "[DeBrincat] and Watty energized the group and the arena."
"It was awesome," added Lucas Raymond. "I've seen Cat chuck 'em a couple times now, and he's got some fire in home, so obviously huge. It fires us up, gets the crowd into it right away, and Watty stepping up as well is awesome to see. I think that just goes to show how much guys care and how committed guys are to this."
On that basis, it's not hard to see where Watson (who signed a one-year, two-way contract extension earlier this month) can help a Red Wings team that has at times allowed itself to be flustered by heavy, physical opponents.
However, Watson's limited ice time (which McLellan explained by saying, "It was nothing that he did or didn't do. It was just shortening the bench up a little bit.") also offers a reminder of his limitations as a player. The good news for the Red Wings is that Watson is a low cost option under team control.
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