BACK IN BLUE

Daryl Watts made a splash in PWHL free agency by signing with her hometown Toronto team after starring for rival Ottawa in Year 1

BY CAROL SCHRAM

IN 2018, JOHN TAVARES dominated the NHL’s free-agent discourse when he chose to sign with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. Six years later, Daryl Watts did the same in the PWHL. Watts, 25, is a Toronto native who grew up loving the Leafs just like Tavares did. “I was a huge Mats Sundin fan,” she said. “I think I had his jersey when I was a kid.” Darcy Tucker was another favorite from that era, but kids are fickle. When those two players moved on in 2008 and Toronto’s playoff drought continued, Watts’ nine-year-old attention span shifted 230 miles southwest, where another Original Six squad was competing for Stanley Cups. “I kind of switched to a Red Wings fan for a bit,” she said. “So I loved (Pavel) Datsyuk, (Henrik) Zetterberg, (Nicklas) Lidstrom.” Phil…

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The Hockey News (Digital) - 1 Issue, Meet The New Guys 2024

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