One of Canada’s top sports broadcasters passed away on Friday at age 68. Peter Watts, who worked as an original anchor for TSN SportsDesk in Toronto in 1984, before moving to Calgary as a sports reporter. He also worked for CBC Sports in Edmonton and since 1998, as the weekend host and producer of the Alberta Morning News for QR77.
My connection with Watts was through the Calgary Vipers of the Northern League. We were both hired by Vipers president Peter Young. Watts was the first public address announcer for the Vipers and I was their first scorekeeper. Our professional relationship would continue over the next decade as we each covered the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League (Peter for QR77 and me for Hockey Magazine Calgary) and the Canadian equestrian scene, while I contributed to the content for the Canadian Encyclopedia.
Watts enjoyed introducing me to other people in the sports journalism industry. For me it was Rita Mingo of the Calgary Herald and Al Maki of the Globe and Mail.
In addition to baseball, hockey and equestrian, Watts was very involved in the amateur sports scene. He provided his voice to every World Cup bobsled I attended, and was very involved with Alberta horse racing and university sports. Watts passed away at the Rockyview Hospital after having an aneurysm in mid-December.
