The most popular group of men in Edmonton are Oilers. The second-most popular group is ex-Oilers. Matt Greene had a huge group of reporters around his locker after practice. Jarret Stoll avoided the mob because he was on the ice late, with the extra group, and Ryan Smyth didn’t make the trip because of his injury. Other Kings got attention as well. Anze Kopitar, as the league’s leading scorer, drew a big crowd.
As Kopitar was talking, Drew Doughty walked into the locker room and expressed disbelief with the scene. I told him, “Be careful, you’re next,” and sure enough, within five minutes Doughty was talking to a radio reporter. That’s because many reporters in Canada these days cover two teams: their own and Team Canada, as so many people are waiting for the Dec. 31 announcement of which players will be on the Olympic team. Doughty is considered a “bubble” player right now, and a reporter today asked Terry Murray if he thought Doughty was ready to “take the next step” and play for Team Canada…
MURRAY: “I just want him to take the next step here with the L.A. Kings. If he plays well here, he will get some consideration for the Olympic team. He’s a good young prospect. He has played very well for us in the time he has been with the L.A. Kings. His point production is going in the right direction. He plays big minutes. Just take care of business here, do the right stuff with the Kings, and all the other stuff will fall in place.”
As a side note, my weekly feature this week is about the Kings’ players’ prospects for making Olympic teams. I’ll be posting a link to that shortly…
Im torn… part of me wants everyone on the roster to make an olympic team.. but another part is afraid that everyone who goes will be tired and/or injured because of the intensity of each game in the Olympics.
Id love to have Doughty and Smyth on team Canada, but not if it negatively impacted their second halves with the Kings
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I think the experience alone would be enough to say it would be worth the risk for Doughty.To be surrounded by the best that Canada has to offer would be a big time learning experience.One of those big picture kind of things.
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Hope DD makes the team! As time goes by I’m more convinced of the comparisons to Ray Bourque. He’s more like Bourque than any player I’ve seen come along ever.
Like Bourque he might have trouble with the speed on the Olympic sized rink.
Bourque had to make adjustments when playing the Europeans. Watch the tape of the Canada Cup final series against the Russians in ’87. Paul Coffee was the only D-man on Team Canada who had the Russians backing up when he rushed the puck. The KLM line was in it’s heyday and they were really good!
If DD gets the chance it will only make him better. Here’s hoping he gets the chance to play against the best each country has to offer.
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Crown:
The olympics this year will be at GM Place, in other words for the first time ever it will be held on NHL size ice, not international sized.
I think this gives the advantage totally to the USA and to Canada.
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anyone else remember oscar moller? was doing really well w/ the kings…went to play for sweden…got hurt and hasn’t recovered with the kings since then…
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josh e., yeah But Moller isn’t half the stud Doughty is,and I don’t mean that as a slight on Mo.
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What better way to showcase the Kings future than internationally.What an experience to play w/leaders from all over the NHL.Canada will be loaded for the Olympics.Doughty more than Smyth would benefit from this,although it would be sick if they both went and won gold medals together.
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VanKingsFan…weren’t the games played in Salt Lake played on an NHL sized surface? I may be wrong…
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Interesting choice of words, for Terry Murray to still call Doughty a “prospect.”
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I think he meant as far as the Olympics go.I could be wrong.
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I wonder if the pros like to play in the Olympic rink? i know i do.
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I hope DD makes it (we all know he is good enough) but I think he will end up on the “back-up team” this time around. 2014 is going to be his year in my opinion.
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Kings fan from Oregan Your absolutely on point.
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Lets not forget Demetra going to the Olympics and coming home hurt as well (Playoffs Missed Again)
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ya but he does have the 4th most points a defencmen in the nhl…you cant really ignore that
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