You can certainly draw a line from there to here, from Vancouver 2010 to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics 16 years later.
But in many ways, it’s less of a straight line than it is a circle, the closing of a circle if you will. At least that’s how it seems for veteran defenceman Drew Doughty of Team Canada, one of only a small handful of National Hockey League players who are suiting up for their third Olympics.
Doughty can’t really recall the moment when then Canadian general manager Steve Yzerman – or anyone from Team Canada – called to tell the then second-year NHL player that he was joining a powerful Canadian squad in Vancouver to try and avenge a disappointing showing in Turin in 2006.
Doughty, now 36, does recall certain elements of that tournament, the one that ended with Canada winning a gold medal on Sidney Crosby’s overtime golden goal against the United States, including Yzerman pulling Doughty aside after the first Canadian game and telling him to play his game and stop deferring to more established players on the Canadian roster.
“Stevie Y came to me and he was like, ‘Hey, we chose you to be the player that you are, and to play the way that you play back in LA.’ Because when I first started out, I was timid, and I was just always making the simple play, and just trying to give it to these old superstars,” Doughty said during a recent conversation. “And from there on out, I went and played the way I always play, and played well, and yeah, the rest is history after that.”
Another moment that stands out for Doughty is an early bus trip to or from the athletes’ village and captain Sidney Crosby plopping down in the empty seat beside him.
“That was an amazing moment for me. You know, along with Sid doing that, all the other guys made me feel comfortable, too. I mean, my roommate was Chris Pronger,” Doughty said.
“I had so much help from all those guys on that team, but definitely that moment with Sid when he sat with me on the bus, which was pretty cool. Everyone had their own seat, and all of a sudden, Sid just comes and sits with me and just chats it up with me,” Doughty recalled. “To have one of the best players in history do that and sit with you at that young of an age, you know, just made me feel comfortable, and yeah, that's something I'll always remember. I'll never forget that.”
Funny how the small things turn out to be so meaningful at this level. And Doughty believes he can trace his Hockey Hall of Fame worthy career directly back to his experiences in Vancouver.
“That year was huge for me,” Doughty said. “I started off having a pretty good season, and then making Team Canada, I mean, I don't know if there's anything in the world that could give you more confidence than that. So, from then on, I just had the confidence to be myself, to play at a high level, and to just be confident in myself.”
Two years after collecting his first of two gold medals – he won the second in Sochi 12 years ago – Doughty won his first of two Stanley Cup rings with the Los Angeles Kings. He won a Norris Trophy, too.
Now he’s in Milan, older, wiser and maybe enjoying his role now as the elder statesman to the fullest. It’s why the phone call in recent weeks from Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong and Hockey Canada leader Scott Salmond, both of whom Doughty has known for years, remains so special for him.
“That was an amazing call. I had a lot of stress building for a few weeks there. I knew I had obviously a really good shot at making it, but you know, at my old age, and all these injuries that I've had in the last three years, I just wasn't sure,” Doughty said.
He went through a similarly stressful time a year ago when he was recovering from a broken ankle sustained during training camp and was a late addition to Team Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
That he was chosen at age 36 to take part in his third Olympics makes all those experiences in Vancouver more than a little relevant.
“I knew that I could help the team, I knew that I could be a big part of the team, both on and off the ice,” Doughty said.
Doughty is the kind of guy that might plop himself down on a bus or at dinner or just hanging out with guys like 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini, the youngest NHL player competing in the tournament. Or Seth Jarvis, 24, who was added to the roster as a replacement an injured Brayden Point.
For much of the Milan tournament Doughty has been playing alongside Dallas Stars defenceman Thomas Harley, 24, as he did a year ago at 4 Nations. He has helped the young defender on the ice and has been a vocal supporter of Harley off the ice, too.
``It was great at 4 Nations and it’s great again now,” Harley said. “We kind of understand each other very well. We have a good working relationship and a great relationship off the ice. So, it’s been awesome. He’s seen it all, so to kind of pick his brain if it’s hockey or just life stuff is really cool for me. He’s a fun-loving guy, he’s got a very unique laugh, and you hear it all the time. He’s great to be around.’’
It’s hard to underscore how important forging those relationships will be if Canada is going to fulfill its dream of winning gold for the fourth time in the last five Olympics featuring NHL players, how important it is to forge something meaningful in a short period of time that can be a conduit to on-ice success.
“Of course, and I'm not like going and trying to target guys, but I'm the type of guy that's going to be friends and help every single guy on that team,” Doughty said. “You know, I'm not the type of guy to just stick to one person and hang out with them the entire Olympics. I'm going around talking to lots of guys and finding out about, you know, their home lives and their families and things like that. I'm not going around always talking about hockey, but just talking about normal things in life, and I think that's what makes me a good leader, and I enjoy that part of building those friendships on teams.”
This isn’t just a cheerleading role, of course. Nor are roster spots handed out because you have a thick resume. Doughty is back for his third Olympics because he still belongs among the best of the best.
Longtime NHL head coach Pete DeBoer had been in charge of the Canadian defence and penalty kill at 4 Nations Face-Off and is now again in Milan. After a recent practice, DeBoer said the staff were talking about critical game situations like defending 6-on-5 and the like.
“The key there is composure with the puck, not panicking,” DeBoer said. “When I think of Drew Doughty, he’s a guy his whole career that in those situations you want the puck on his stick. He’s not going to panic, he’s not going to overplay the situation. He’s going to make the right play. He’s not intimidated by those moments, never has been. That’s a rare trait.”
Canadian netminder Darcy Kuemper, playing in his first Olympics, sees what Doughty is about day in and day out in Los Angeles with the Kings, and to have a good friend and teammate to help show him the Olympic ropes has been an added bonus in Milan.
“It’s awesome, I just think he’s so decorated on the international level to go along with those Stanley Cups he’s won, for him to be here is awesome. It’s great to have a guy with so much experience to lean on as well for me personally but for the whole group as well.”
Never say never, of course, but in all likelihood this will be Doughty’s last Olympic experience. So, there is a feeling of embracing every minute here. He is joined in Milan by his family including his children, aged three, six and eight, all of whom if you’re doing math, were born after the Sochi Olympics.
“That part of it makes it super special for me, because the other two that I was at, I didn't have kids yet, so for this one to be a family affair, it's definitely something they're going to remember forever. You know, the long plane ride, being in Italy, they’ll get to see some cool things, and hopefully they see Dad win a gold medal,” Doughty said.
(Feature photo courtesy of Getty Images)
