Drew Doughty remains highly motivated to crack Canada's Olympic squad.
"I expect to be on the team," the Los Angeles Kings defenseman told NHL.com's Dan Rosen at Hockey Canada's Olympic orientation camp in August. "I know it's going to be hard for me to make it, but personally, I expect to be on that team. I do think making the best team in the world at 36 years old is quite an accomplishment. That would be amazing. I've honestly been thinking about this way too much and it's still so far away."
Doughty, who turns 36 in December, represented Canada at February's 4 Nations Face-Off as an injury replacement for Alex Pietrangelo. He collected one assist and a plus-1 rating in four games while averaging 19:57 per contest, helping Canada defeat the United States in the final.
He only had six NHL games to ramp up for the tournament after suffering a fractured ankle during a preseason game that kept him out for nearly four months. Doughty still wasn't at 100% by the time the 4 Nations rolled around.
"I showed I could still play at that level," Doughty said. "I mean, my ankle was mangled and I did pretty well."
Working in Doughty's favor is experience. Only three of the 42 players invited to Canada's Olympic camp - Doughty, Sidney Crosby, and John Tavares - have played in the Games before. Doughty won gold with Canada in 2010 and 2014, leading the team with four goals at the 2014 Games in Sochi. He also won the 2016 World Cup of Hockey with Canada, bolstering his sparkling international resume.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion and 2016 Norris Trophy winner, Doughty registered 17 points in 30 games with the Kings last season, leading the team in average time on ice (24:08) for the 17th consecutive campaign.
Doughty admitted that making Team Canada has been his primary focus this offseason, knowing it could potentially be the last time he dons the red and white at a major international tournament.
"This summer has been huge for me," Doughty said. "I've been focusing on the Olympics this summer maybe more than I've been focusing on playing for the L.A. Kings. I want to win the Cup too, but this has been my focus, how hard I have to work this summer to get myself back and to have a great start to the season.
"This (Olympics) has come 16 years after the first one and 12 since my second one, and I didn't know if I'd ever have another opportunity. I'm going to do everything to get that opportunity again."
