The minute Alex Pietrangelo announced he was not playing for Team Canada at the Four Nations Faceoff due to injury, all eyes were on Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.
Doughty seemed to be the preeminent favorite to replace Pietrangelo on Team Canada, even though he had been out with an injury for most of the season. Doughty missed the first 47 games of the Kings season after breaking his ankle in the preseason. So, the coaching staff and management for Team Canada wanted to see how Doughty played in his return for the first since injuring his ankle. Even Doughty wasn’t sure if he would get the call.
“Ever since that happened, my eyes were set on making this team,” Doughty said to the media on Day 1 of Practice for Team Canada. “So, I’m very fortunate and very happy.”
Many wondered if the Kings were going to ease Doughty into the lineup. That was not the case. As a matter of fact, his ice time increased with each passing game. Doughty averaged around 27 minutes of ice time in the six games he played before the break. In the final game against the Anaheim Ducks, he averaged over 31 minutes of ice time. So, if there was a question about whether Drew Doughty was ready or not, he passed the test with flying colors.
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While other players need a break, Doughty needs to play because of all the games he missed. When asked about it before being named to the team this past week, he said he hoped to get a chance to play for Team Canada.
“Very, very, very… I want to be there,” Doughty told the media. “(Getzlaf) basically just asked if I thought I’d be ready to play at that high level. There are guys that they’re looking at. They’re going to watch me to see how my game is. So hopefully, I play well enough.”
Drew Doughty has been eyeing the Four Nations Face-off like the rest of the players since the summer. He has played for Team Canada on the biggest stage, winning Gold at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. In addition, he was on Team Canada, where he won gold at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. So there was extra motivation to play for Canada at the Four Nations Face-off as it is the first best-on-best tournament featuring NHLers since 2016.
“It meant the world to me,” Doughty said on getting the call. “I always want to play for Team Canada, always love honoring the country. I didn’t know if I’d have the chance or not. When I got the call I was on the the team it was one of the best days I had in a lot of months.”
Doughty pressured himself to get back in the lineup as quickly as possible. While there were other names like MacKenzie Weegar of the Calgary Flames and Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers, if Drew Doughty was healthy enough to play for the Kings and his game was at the level of Team Canada Officials, he would be named to the team. If Doughty hadn’t gotten hurt, he would have been named back in December.
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While it is unfortunate Alex Pietrangelo could not play at the Four Nations Faceoff, Drew Doughty wanted to be there—really, really wanted to be there. He did everything in his power to get back to playing on the ice this season. Now, he is a day away from suiting up for Team Canada against Sweden.
While Doughty will be happy with any role, let’s face it: He will be in the top four, replacing Pietrangelo next to Shea Theodore. Doughty was not going to be a seventh defenseman. He is still one of the best defensemen in the NHL and knows what it takes to win, especially in the big moments.
The Four Nations Face-off gets underway Wednesday night as Canada hosts Sweden at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
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