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129 goals. 428 assists. 557 points. Two Stanley Cups. One James Norris trophy. After tonight, you can add 1,000 games played to the illustrious resume of Drew Doughty.
He’s undoubtedly the best defenseman to lace up the skates for the LA Kings, and one of the best players, in general, to play in the City of Angels.
Doughty ranks fifth in franchise history in games played, trailing just Luc Robitaille, Dave Taylor, Anze Kopitar, and Dustin Brown. He’s also seventh in assists, ninth in points, ninth in power play goals, 10th in goals created, and 10th in game-winning goals. Basically what I’m getting at is that he’s an absolute legend in this franchise.
I don’t know what’s more impressive, Doughty hitting this feat with five more seasons remaining on the books for his contract, or the fact that he is still among one of the league’s best defensemen after playing all of these games at the physically demanding level that he always brings. He’s often averaging some of the biggest minutes in the NHL on a nightly basis, and providing the elite results to back it up as well, not something you can easily find in any 32 year old.
While he’s on his way to easily become a Hockey Hall of Famer, Doughty isn’t thinking about that right now, as he hopes to take this Kings team to the next level and win at least one more Stanley Cup. It may not be this year, but if he continues playing the way he has in the coming years, he’s going to be a crucial part of whatever success this team finds in the future.
Doughty is hitting this massive milestone against the New York Islanders, who he has managed to play at a respectable level against throughout his career. He has five goals, 13 points through 20 games played against.
We all know Doughty puts the team first before individual achievements, however, so you can expect him to put all of his focus towards winning the game and helping the Kings remain in the Pacific Division playoff race, and with how tight this group is, you know they’re going to want to win it for him too.
Congrats to Drew, he’s earned this with all of the work he has put in over the recent years.
I do wish it was against the Calgary Flames, though…
👑 Drew Doughty: Still not a big Matthew Tkachuk fan 😳 pic.twitter.com/CSN2UHuWEA
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 9, 2019