Teammate vs. teammate

Let the Games begin, and now it’s Kings vs. Kings. Three countries — the United States (Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson, Jonathan Quick), Canada (Drew Doughty) and Slovakia (Michal Handzus) — will have Kings players representing them at the Olympic hockey tournament, and while the players (at least publicly) have been saying all the right things about focusing on the NHL, now they shift focus completely to the Olympics.

Brown and Doughty have something of a big brother/little brother relationship. They’re road roommates and like to “chirp” at each other on the ice and in the locker room, so it was no surprise, after Saturday night’s game, when Doughty fired the first shot.

Doughty said he and Brown had been “chirping each other” for a while, but that no bets had been made. “I would be fine with making a bet. I think I’m more confident that my team is going to win,” Doughty said with a half-smile. More seriously, Doughty said the experience of being a Canadian Olympian was starting to set in a bit…

DOUGHTY: “A little bit. When I fly into Vancouver is when it’s really going to hit me. I’ve been looking forward to this, ever since I was named to the team, and now that it’s finally here, it has come quick. I’m really excited.”

Quick had similar emotions…

QUICK: “I think it’s still a little too early. It probably won’t really hit me until we get out there and they’re singing the national anthem before the game. It might hit you then, but I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be quite an experience and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”