Canadian defenseman Drew Doughty is a key piece of Canada's puzzle in the 4 Nations Face-Off. And here's why Doughty has been so special for his country over the years.
At the current 4 Nations Face-Off, Team Canada defenseman Drew Doughty has been an important part of his team's puzzle. And in this feature story from THN's Feb. 10, 2014 edition, writer Ken Campbell analyzed what makes Doughty a huge workhorse for the Canadians over the years:
DOUGHTY DOUBLES UP
By Ken Campbell
SOCHI, RUSSIA – At least one player in hockey history won two gold medals earlier in life than Drew Doughty did. Doughty was 24 years and 77 days old when he skated off at the Bolshoy Ice Dome with another gold medal around his neck. Vladislav Tretiak was 23 when he won his second in 1976.
No matter. There’s still plenty of youthful enthusiasm to Doughty, even if he isn’t the youngest in the world. (He is, however, the youngest Canadian player with double Olympic bling.) When asked which of his two medals he likes more, Doughty has a typical ignorance-isbliss, young-guy response. “The look?” he says. “I don’t know. This one’s cool. I heard it has like meteorite or something in it. I don’t know if that’s true. They both look good.”
And Doughty looked very good in winning them both. In 2010 in Vancouver, he was just 20 and hadn’t yet won a Stanley Cup. But he emerged as a valuable defender as the tournament went on, to the point coach Mike Babcock had enough faith to put him out in over-time. He was on the ice for Sidney Crosby’s golden goal.
Four years later was an entirely different story. Doughty was named to the tournament all-star team and scored four goals. Paired with Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the San Jose Sharks, Doughty was a force. Canadian teammate Matt Duchene might have had the most astute observation of Doughty, saying he has the skills of an elite forward. Doughty was a threat all over the ice, jumping into seams and creating chances for a team that had a lot more trouble scoring than anyone imagined.
“I don’t know what’s going on – I don’t score goals like this in L.A.,” Doughty said after his fourth goal of the tourna-ment, the overtime winner in Canada’s 2-1 victory over Finland in the qualifying round. “A lot of it is just my teammates. They’re doing a great job of getting me the puck.”
Anyone who watches Doughty, though, knows he’s a Norris Trophy winner waiting to happen. It’s just a matter of time. He has the unique ability to control the pace of the game. He can direct an entire power play from the blueline, lug the puck up the ice himself to get it out of trouble and he has improved his defensive game significantly. It all adds up to dominance on defense. “He sees it, he gets it – what’s going on – and doesn’t seem to force things to generate offense,” Babcock says. “He just plays the game. Heck of a player.”
Doughty scored his first goal of the tournament in a 3-1 win over Norway on the first backhand goal of his life, according to him. It’s hard to believe he had never scored on a backhander at any level, but hey, who are we to argue with a good story? And that’s what Doughty is crafting through the early part of his pro career.
Already he has a Stanley Cup. Already he has two Olympic gold medals. What’s the limit? Well, playing for the Kings, as long as Darryl Sutter is coaching, will blunt the offensive potential he has at the NHL level. It’s almost like Scott Niedermayer, whose offensive instincts were crushed by playing in New Jersey for Jacques Lemaire.
Things aren’t that drastic with Doughty, but he’d put up much more impressive numbers if he were able to roam the offensive zone and find openings the way Babcock allowed him to during the Olympics. “Coach Babcock continued to tell us we need to have the fastest ‘D’ in the tournament,” Doughty said early in the proceedings. “He’s just letting me play my game and jump in as much as I can. He’s letting me play and I love it. He’s a great coach and I’m happy to be here playing for him.”
With four goals, Doughty had more than even Shea Weber – he with the shot that can kill a man – who had three. Superstar Erik Karlsson of Sweden had four goals and eight points. He was named the tournament’s top defense-man and also Doughty’s partner on the Olympic all-star team.
Actually, Doughty and Karlsson are cut from a similar cloth. Both are superior skaters with outstanding offensive instincts. Doughty is far more physical than Karlsson and better in his own end, but neither is afraid of the ramifications of making a high-risk play at one end of the ice.
Part of that is because they both have the speed to get back into the play and part of it is the way they’re wired. “I like that,” says Swedish coach Par Marts. “I’m not going to yell at a guy when he makes a mistake because he does so many other things so great."
Much of the greatness for Doughty is still to come. He could play another 15 years in this game and, if the NHL decides to continue in the Olympics, probably has more gold medals in his future. “Combine his confidence and his skill,” says Kings and Canada teammate Jeff Carter, “and it makes for a pretty dynamic player.”