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“Never scored on him.” | Drew Doughty discusses Jonathan Quick trade, and more

By Cameron Franck

Feb 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) is congratulated by defenseman Drew Doughty (8) after defeating the Arizona Coyotes in a shootout at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) is congratulated by defenseman Drew Doughty (8) after defeating the Arizona Coyotes in a shootout at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Drew Doughty was joined by former Los Angeles Kings center and current member of the LA Kings Player Development Department, Jarrett Stoll and SportsCaster Scott Oake of Sportsnet a day after the Los Angeles Kings’ shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on March 18, 2023 as a part of the After Hours segment on the Sportsnet website.

During the interview, Doughty discussed multiple topics including his relationship with long-time King Jonathan Quick, his most memorable chirps, and what life is like as a father. If it wasn’t already known in the Kings’ community, then it is definitely known now that Drew Doughty is a great person and a great hockey player.

There shouldn’t be any doubt that Dewey’s No. 8 should end up in the rafters one day alongside Dustin Brown’s No. 23, and eventually Jonathan Quick’s No. 32 and Anze Kopitar’s No. 11. These four franchise cornerstones will live in Los Angeles Kings’ immortality forever as they led the organization to their first Stanley Cup title in 2012 and their second Stanley Cup title two years later, in 2014.

Oct 8, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Dustin Brown (23) hoists the Stanley Cup as the Los Angeles Kings are introduced as the 2013-2014 Stanley Cup Champions prior to the game between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Dustin Brown (23) hoists the Stanley Cup as the Los Angeles Kings are introduced as the 2013-2014 Stanley Cup Champions prior to the game between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

As is typical fashion for an organization, soon after a championship the franchise heads into a rebuilding mode. But, the Kings rebuilt very well with all of the up-and-coming pieces in the system and now they are on the brink of contention again, if not already.

In the middle of the interview, Scott Oake asks Drew Doughty: “You were very, very close to Jonathan Quick. His kids were in your wedding party, you’re the godfather to his son. So, the question is: How did you find the balance between your emotions and the need to focus on the game when he was traded?”

"A: “It was hard, man. It was super hard. The day after he got traded, we flew home from Winnipeg so that next day we went over to his house and kind of hung out with him, and it was just…uhh that was tough times, so tough. Just sad and disappointed, but at the same time we realized that we weren’t going to all play together forever. That’s just the bottom line. That’s hockey. That’s the business. Never wanted to see Quickie go anywhere, but unfortunately I do think adding these couple guys made us a very good team.Yeah, it was tough. It was hard to play those next couple of games. You know, walking into practice not seeing him, in the stall across the way from me that he sat in for 15 years and yeah that was super tough. That’s the worst part about hockey: the business side of things and having to say bye to friends and teammates. It’s just sad. I really miss him, but we’ll always be friends and family, and I’ll always get to see him so it’s not the end of the world.”"

Scott Oake follows that response by asking a question that was submitted via Twitter by @PuckStop33 who asked: “I’m sure there will be some love shown between members of your team and Quick when you play Vegas for the first time since his trade(s)-once the game faces are on, what will be your chirp towards an old friend?”

"Doughty responds: “I don’t think I’ll be chirping him. You know I was actually thinking about it, I’m like ‘if I score, am I going to celebrate?’ I don’t know.Jarrett Stoll chimes in and says: “You better.”To which Doughty replies: “I know, but like…I definitely want to score on him. I’ve never scored on him. I played against him when he played for Team USA and I never got a goal on him, so we’ve always talked about that…I’m not going to be chirping him in the game, but we’re going out there to win. He (Quick) wants to absolutely crush us, trust me. He doesn’t want the LA Kings to go anywhere, and we don’t want Vegas to go anywhere just as much. They’re a team that we’re competing with, so I won’t be (I don’t think) chirping him. Maybe after the game if I score on him or something, then I’ll definitely chirp him. But, I won’t be in his grill or anything."

Based on Dewey’s responses to these questions, it’s very evident he has a deep bond with Jonathan Quick and vice versa. The human side of hockey may be the hardest aspect of the game that the media and fans don’t get to see. For example, seeing your friend in the locker room for 15 years and him suddenly being gone.

The difficulty in dealing with that aspect alone sounds heart-breaking, but these professional athletes are expected to just flip a switch every time they lace up their skates and head back onto the ice as if nothing has happened. But, in reality the men under the helmets may be going through a lot more than we realize.

In Drew’s case, it seems like he is handling it well and is ready to move his eyes forward to the post-season that seems to be coming for the Kings. LA is playing at an extremely high level right now and could be a dark horse to come out of the Western Conference.

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