from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

Doughty is one of the primary reasons why they’re as good as they are. One could convincingly argue that he is the least-known great Canadian player in the NHL, someone who plays on the U.S. West Coast and is not much given to talk about himself.

Among NHL defencemen, Doughty – who turned 24 this past Sunday – may have the best hockey instincts of any player currently playing the game. He is a hockey savant, who naturally and instinctively plays the game without fear, the only way to have the impact he does. On average, Doughty plays about four minutes more per night than any other member of the Kings and eats up penalty-killing minutes as well as power-play time.

He is a light-hearted personality off the ice, and popular with his teammates because he has a bit of a goofy streak. But on the ice, is all business. Steve Yzerman, Canada’s Olympic team GM, saw that early and put him on the Olympic team as a 20-year-old back in 2010 and Doughty rewarded that decision by playing big, effective minutes alongside the Chicago Blackhawks’ Duncan Keith. They figure to be the key defence pair again in Sochi, when Canada tries to defend the gold medal they won in Vancouver this coming February.

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