LOS ANGELES — Months of pushing through the drudgery of recovery and rehabilitation got Drew Doughty into a Team Canada sweater, even though chances seemed to be between slim and none when he broke his ankle just minutes into his first preseason game in September.
The Canadians, of course, needed to replace the banged-up Alex Pietrangelo - and they were more than happy to make the call to Doughty. "We knew from the onset from when Drew got hurt that ... for the two-time Stanley Cup champion and Olympic gold ...
When he played for a dominant Team Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Doughty was one of the top defenders in the game. A few months later, he would win his second Stanley Cup in three seasons. Two years after that he would win a Norris Trophy as the top defender in the game.
The sun is closer to setting on Drew Doughty’s 17-season Hall of Fame career. But don’t dare tell Doughty that he doesn’t belong with Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. “I still got it.”
Sidney Crosby and Drew Doughty have won two Olympic gold medals, including in 2010 when Crosby scored the “Golden Goal” in overtime against the United States. Brad Marchand played in the World Cup of Hockey final the last time we had best-on-best competition nine years ago and scored the championship-winning goal.