Teammate, roommate, enemy

The first person to learn about Drew Doughty’s selection to Team Canada was his roommate, Dustin Brown. It just so happens that, barring a huge shock, Doughty and Brown will be Olympic opponents, since Brown is expected to be a major part of Team USA. Here’s what Brown said today about Doughty’s selection…

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Question: Drew said he couldn’t sleep last night. Was he pacing the floors all night?

BROWN: “Yeah, a little bit. I went to dinner with him, and we room together, and I think it kind of hit him at dinner. The TV was on, and they started talking about the team being named tomorrow, and it kind of hit him that the possibility was there that he would be playing. It’s funny to see. I don’t think he fully understands how big of a deal it is, especially being here in Canada while it happens. Obviously it’s a huge honor for him. He’s so young, and I think part of what makes him great is that he doesn’t understand how big of a deal it is, and how good he is. He just has that goofy attitude. He doesn’t realize how good he is.”

Question: He said he woke you up right away to tell you…

BROWN: “I kind of heard his rustle. I think he turned his phone on silent, because he didn’t want to get woken up too early. When he got up, I was kind of half-awake, so I heard him talking to somebody. I figured that was probably the call he was hoping for. He was pretty excited after that, making phone calls to friends and family.”

Question: What do you think about the possibility of being on opposite sides?

BROWN: “It’s always fun. Obviously there’s a fine line. It’s fun to compete against your teammates, but at the same time, you play hard and once they put on that jersey, you don’t really differentiate them from any other player on the other team. That could cause conflicts, not so much personal between me and Dewey. If something were to happen, that’s part of the game, and when he plays for Canada, I don’t think he’s going to differentiate between me and any other player, if I’m named to that team.”

Question: So you need to keep your head up, in other words…

BROWN: “I just have to watch out for his butt. That’s all he seems to hit with. I’m not too afraid about his body checks. It’s his hip checks.”