Returning the favor: Watson's Dads Trip guest made his hockey journey possible

The holiday season is here. Trees planted along Channelside Drive are wrapped from top to bottom with glowing lights. Giant gift decorations are scattered along Water Street. Songs like “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “Jingle Bell Rock” echo throughout shopping malls across the country.

And along with the holiday season comes everyone’s favorite activity – gift shopping. Those same shopping malls have parking lots jammed just as much as the stores inside with everyone searching for the perfect presents to gift to some of the most important people in their lives.

Some will shop for their significant other, while others will browse for their siblings or co-workers. And a large group will be looking to purchase gifts for their children.

Whether it’s a family of three, four or five, the cost seems to go up with each passing year for parents hoping to fill the empty spaces underneath the tree.

Now, imagine what that process is like as a parent of 10 children.

That was life for the Watson family with nine boys and one girl. The oldest of them all was Austin, a quick-witted boy with an inexhaustible love for the game of ice hockey.

Growing up in the Ann Arbor area, Watson was right in the middle of one of the biggest hockey hubs in the United States, with standout AAA organizations like Compuware, Honeybaked, Belle Tire and Little Caesars all within driving distance.

So, when Watson’s father, Mike, received a job offer all the way down in Florida in 2003, a difficult decision had to be made.

One year before the Lightning won the Stanley Cup for the very first time, the ice hockey landscape in the Sunshine State was vastly different from how it looks today. The competition Watson was facing in Michigan was far superior to anything in Florida at the time. So, now what?

Meet Richard Wrubel, the father of Austin’s mother, Mary. Along with his wife Margaret, Richard also lived in the Ann Arbor area and was part of Austin’s hockey journey from the very first time he put on skates at three years old.

“We were like second parents to him,” Wrubel said. “He was around us since he was a little guy. We moved out onto a lake and, when the ice would freeze, he’d come out to the house and we’d put him out there.

“I had a little white chair, so he could go out and hold onto it and skate around. The ice was always available. He was just a good kid. He was a really good kid.”

Fast forward nearly 10 years later, Richard and Margaret were more than happy to take Austin in and support his desire to continue playing hockey in Michigan.

“It was great,” said Watson. “I was heavily involved in hockey at the time and it was something that I wanted to do. My grandparents were able to do it for me. My parents were willing to let it happen.

“There was a lot going on from all sides, but it's been a blessing in my life. I wouldn't have been able to play hockey and chase this dream without him and without them.”

Playing AAA hockey with Compuware, Watson was able to compete against some of the best talent in his age group around the world, traveling as far as Quebec City, Alaska, and even Sweden for tournaments throughout the year.

“We traveled all over,” Watson shared. “When I was 12, we went to Quebec City and then went to Alaska for Nationals. I’m sure it was an expensive year. Now, being an adult, I don’t even want to know what that tab looked like.

“I just have a ton of appreciation for them doing that for me. We got a chance to go to Sweden and I played in a hockey tournament over there. We spent 10 days over there traveling around and doing that kind of stuff.

“Hockey’s given us a lot. It’s given us a lot of time to spend together and things to do together. It’s no different now.”

Hockey has certainly given Austin and his grandfather plenty of unforgettable memories. When the Lightning let the players know that the team’s Dads Trip was set to take place during the road trip to Colorado and Arizona, Watson knew exactly who would be joining him.

Between his time with the Nashville Predators and Ottawa Senators, Watson was part of four or five Dads Trips. Wrubel was there every single time. Serving as a father figure for a large portion of Watson’s life, bringing Wrubel on Tampa Bay’s Dads Trip was an easy decision.

“He’s just a kind man,” Watson said. “When you grow up with that as an example of how to be as an adult and as a man, I think that kind of wears off on you.

“I just try to be a good person like him. I try to be kind and loving and selfless. He's all of those things and more, and he continues to be like that to this day.

“I wouldn't be here doing what I am today if it wasn’t for my grandparents. I have a ton of gratitude and appreciation for them. They really stepped up and they made it possible for me to do what I do and to have the life that I have with my family. It’s all possible because of them.”

When Watson was drafted by the Windsor Spitfires in the second round of the 2008 OHL Draft, his entire family was elated. Not only was he moving forward on his journey to the NHL, but the big forward was set to play in a city that was no more than an hour drive from Ann Arbor.

“We’d drive into Detroit, cross the border, maybe check out a couple casinos,” Wrubel said with a laugh. “Then, we’d drive another 10 minutes and we’d be at the arena to watch him play. It was great.”

Whether it’s been Compuware, Windsor, Peterborough, London, Milwaukee, Nashville, Ottawa or Tampa, Wrubel has been all in on Watson’s hockey journey from the very beginning.

Without his grandparents, there’s a chance Watson may have never played a single game in the National Hockey League. Now, he’s just three games away from playing his 500^th career game in the NHL.

You can bet Richard Wrubel will be tuning in for that game, just as he has for every single contest that got his grandson to this point. And as proud as Watson’s accomplishments as a hockey player have made Wrubel feel, there’s still something that means even more.

“I’m still watching every game,” Wrubel said. “Of course, I’m so proud of what he’s been able to do with his career, but I think I’m just most proud of what a good guy he is.

“He’s just a really good guy. He’s very sincere. He takes things the way they come. He’s happy.

“You know how you can tell when things are good with a family? Look at the kids. I look at his two little girls and they’re just really peaceful. They’re really happy. That’s a family that’s really in a great place. That just makes me feel really proud.”

That just makes me feel really proud."