Drew Doughty is one-of-one. Having been privileged enough to cover him throughout his entire career, you just never know what’s going to come out of his mouth — and it’s one of the most endearing qualities about the future Hall of Famer. He’s never met a topic he doesn’t want to weigh in on, nor is he a cliche machine like so many other pro athletes.
On Wednesday afternoon in Boston, following Team Canada’s last practice prior to facing a hungry USA squad for the 4 Nations Face-off championship trophy at TD Garden, the 35-year-old defenseman was either ramping up some of his pregame chirps or in desperate need of a map.
Perhaps he doesn’t know Kevin Fiala — as an example — is from Switzerland. Because there is a less than zero chance somebody like Mikey Anderson was saying anything close to what Doughty was claiming.
One thing is definitely true, though. LA’s veteran rearguard couldn’t possibly be any happier he’ll be wearing his home country’s jersey in such a big game on Thursday.
“I’m just super excited,” he began, when thinking about what’s at stake. “This is what we had in our minds the whole time while playing in [the 4 Nations]. Getting another chance at the U.S. is the biggest thing. We want to win the championship, but especially against them.”
Doughty also continues to be self-critical of his own game, as he has been throughout the past two decades.
“I feel good,” he remarked. “I played well against the States, played well in my last game. I wasn’t amazing against Sweden. It was fast, and I wasn’t really ready for that, to be honest. But I feel good now.”
Prior to the tournament, Adrian Kempe had shared with Mayor’s Manor that Doughty was already chirping. So, it was quite the turn of events for Kempe to remark on Monday night that he’ll be watching Doughty in the final and expects him to be a difference maker. When that was shared, the veteran defenseman tried to pump the brakes just a bit.
“I mean, sometimes, when you try in big games to do too much, it kind of backfires on you,” said Doughty. “So, I need to just stay within myself and take the plays that the other team gives me. If you start making mistakes, then you start thinking about those mistakes and things just go downhill. So, it’s just about playing hard.”
Even with another chance to add to his legendary resume just 24 hours away, Doughty was still quick to circle back to Los Angeles. After missing the first half of the 2024-25 season and only skating in six games for the Kings this year, these past two weeks have been about more than just the red and white of Canada.
“This has been huge for me,” explained Doughty. “The speed of this tournament is quite a bit faster than the NHL. So, I’m going to be more ready. This benefits the LA Kings, me playing in this.”
And about facing the Americans one more time, was there anything in that first contest that Canada can take with them into the rematch?
“They’re gonna play physical,” he began, “We have to match that. I think we could probably create a little more offense. Obviously, we only scored one goal, so shooting the puck will be a key and getting some good o-zone shifts in and rolling them over.”
Doughty went to talk about the thrill in having his parents and sister come to the game tomorrow night. “Living in LA and stuff, I don’t get to see my family as much as I would like to,” he added.
Then came a rather unintentionally funny moment. A bit ironic, in fact.
“I love having [Jon] Cooper as a coach,” he said, as another media member made their way over to the corner where we were speaking and asked about what it’s been like to play under Tampa Bay’s regular bench boss. “His meetings are always different. He has like different words and stuff. He keeps you engaged when he’s talking. … [His pregame speeches] are where he gets you. I don’t even really know how to explain it, but he just keeps you dialed into it the whole time. Even if it drags on long, you know? Sometimes other coaches can lose you a little bit, but he doesn’t lose anyone in the room. He has some special, special way. I don’t know what he’s doing, but he’s good at it.”
Sounds familiar.
MORE LA KINGS NEWS:
Follow @mayorNHL
Continue reading...
