BIOGRAPHY
Drew Doughty was born December 8, 1989, in London, Ontario, Canada. He is a defenseman in the National Hockey League.
He was selected by the Guelph Storm fifth overall in the 2005 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection draft. He scored five goals and 33 points for the Storm in 2005–06 and was named to the OHL All-Rookie Team on defence. Doughty played in the 2007 OHL All-Star Game and was voted the top offensive defenceman in the league by the coaches following a 74-point season in 2006–07. He again won both honours in 2007–08 with a 50-point season, and was awarded the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL's outstanding defenceman. National Hockey League (NHL) Central Scouting ranked Doughty as the third best North American prospect for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He was selected second overall by the Los Angeles Kings, a choice that excited Doughty as he grew up a Kings fan and wanted to play in Los Angeles.
Doughty made the Kings opening day roster to start the 2008–09 NHL season, one of eight 18-year-olds to do so across the league. Earning a spot on the Kings roster overwhelmed Doughty, who did not expect to play in the NHL so quickly. He made his NHL debut on October 11, 2008, against the San Jose Sharks, and scored his first goal on October 20 against the Colorado Avalanche. The Kings had the option of returning him to junior without using up one year of his rookie contract if they did so before he played his tenth NHL game. However, they chose to keep him on the roster for the season. His defensive partner, Sean O'Donnell agreed with the decision, praising Doughty's maturity. He played 81 games in his rookie season, finishing with six goals and 21 assists, earning a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team, while also playing in the Youngstars Game as part of the 2009 All-Star festivities.
Doughty improved to 59 points in his sophomore season of 2009–10 and finished third in the league in scoring amongst defencemen. He was named to the second all-star team and was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenceman. His coach, Terry Murray, praised Doughty for his improvement during the season. Doughty helped lead the Kings into the playoffs for the first time since 2002, though they lost their first round series to the Vancouver Canucks. He played all six games of the series despite suffering a wrist injury in the first game that forced him to decline an invitation to play for Canada at the 2010 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.
The Kings' media voted Doughty the team's outstanding defenceman for the third consecutive season in 2010–11. His offensive output fell from 59 points the previous season to 40, but he scored his 100th career point on December 21, 2010, against the Colorado Avalanche. A restricted free agent following the season, Doughty and the Kings struggled to agree on a new contract. The Kings offered $6.8 million per season over seven years, but Doughty rejected the offer. Though the Kings publicly stated they were not willing to sign him for a higher annual salary than team leader Anže Kopitar's $6.8 million, the two sides ultimately agreed on an eight-year, $56 million contract that made Doughty the highest paid player on the team at an average of $7 million per season. Doughty missed the majority of Los Angeles' training camp as a holdout, including five pre-season games, before signing the contract on September 29, 2011.
In addition to missing training camp, Doughty suffered a concussion early in the season that forced him onto injured reserve. He struggled upon his return from the injury and faced criticism that he had allowed his physical conditioning to lapse. Doughty himself admitted that he was not enjoying the game early in the season. He said that his season turned a corner when the team replaced Murray with Darryl Sutter, a coach who preached the need for preparation. Doughty was elevated into a role where he was expected to shut down the opposition's top forwards, forcing him to focus more on his defensive play than his offensive. Consequently, Doughty's 36 points on the season was his lowest total in three years. He was the top-scoring defenceman in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, however, recording 16 points in 20 games to help the Kings win the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. Doughty was praised as the top player for either team in the final series, a six-game victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Doughty won his second Stanley Cup in 2014 against the New York Rangers, becoming the seventh player to win both an Olympic hockey gold medal and the Stanley Cup in the same year.
During the 2015–16 season, Doughty had a career-high plus 24 rating, while also leading the league in shot attempts and ranking third in average ice time for the Kings. At the end of the year, Doughty won the 2015–16 Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman. It was his third nomination; he finished second in voting in 2014–15 and third in 2009–10.
During the 2016–17 season Doughty was selected to participate in the 2017 NHL All-Star Game (along with teammate Jeff Carter) after leading the team's defense in goals and coming in second in points. The following season, Doughty was again selected to participate in the All-Star Game, marking his fourth consecutive selection. Doughty was also named a finalist for the Norris Trophy again. During the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs Doughty was suspended for one game for an illegal hit to the head during Game 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
On July 1, 2018, Doughty agreed to an 8-year, $88 million contract extension with the Kings, which will see him signed through until the 2026–27 season.
On October 8, 2019, Doughty scored the winning goal in a game against the Calgary Flames, but it was his post-goal celebration that received media attention. Doughty allegedly yelled "Suck my dick!" at Flames' fans at ice level, while performing a "crotch chop" motion made famous in professional wrestling circles.
After starting the 2021–22 season with 7 points leading all NHL defensemen in scoring, on October 22, 2021, Doughty collided knee-to-knee with Dallas Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpää, suffering a tibial plateau contusion. He missed 16 games as a result, returning to game action on November 30, 2021. On January 27, 2022, Drew Doughty played his 1,000th NHL game, in a match against the New York Islanders. He would be injured again on March 7, 2022, requiring season ending wrist surgery. In 39 games played, Doughty recorded 7 goals and 31 points.
