Doughty looking forward to All-Star camaraderie

Surely Drew Doughty, who has won two Stanley Cups and two Olympic gold medals, deserves better in his individual accolades haul, right? Doughty, who has been nominated once for the Norris Trophy but has never won – though a recent NHL.com story advocated him as the front runner for this year’s award – was part of the NHL’s All-Rookie team in 2009 and a postseason second-team All-Star in 2010. He hadn’t even garnered a mid-season All-Star Game nomination – until this season.

Doughty, who along with Patrick Kane will serve as an assistant captain on the team captained by Nick Foligno and coached by Darryl Sutter, will be involved in the fantasy draft on January 23 that will fill the rosters for the two squads. Doughty’s inclusion makes the fantasy draft must-watch television – and no, the 45 minutes between the announcement and the time he spoke with the media didn’t provide enough time to reflect on the team he’d like to help Foligno construct.

“No, not really. I think I’m just going to draft guys that I think will be fun to be with off the ice,” he said. “I’m not trying to put the best hockey team together. I’m just trying to put the best team to have fun with in the dressing room together. I know a lot of the guys that will be there, so I’m sure I’ll draft some of them but I’d like to meet some new guys too. It’d be nice to meet some new faces.”

Doughty said he doesn’t remember the last time he was a part of a team that chose sides.

“Probably the last time I played pond hockey or something like that, which is like 14 or 15 [years old],” he said. “It’s been a while.”

What is the etiquette in drafting an all-star team, anyway? Surely as the home team and in respect to the host city and its second All-Star, he, Foligno and Kane would have to pick Sergei Bobrovsky, right? At what point do they make a move for Anze Kopitar?

“I’m sure I won’t be the one making the decisions,” he said. “I’m sure it will be [Foligno]. I’m sure that’s who is going to work for us. Obviously I’ll try and get Kopi at some point. So we’ll see how that goes.”

Sutter already likes his team’s makeup – though, as he noted, he’s not there to offer much instruction.

“I think it’s great for the Foligno boy. I played against his dad,” he said. “To be able to be a captain in his host city is awesome. He’s had a great year. It’s good to see those blue collar identity guys like him being on all-star teams. Other than that, I’m not really coaching those guys. We’re going to watch. It’s really the one time the whole year that players get to show their individuality and not X and O’d. I’m not going there to coach. I’ll go there to watch.”