Doughty expects to represent Canada at 2026 Olympics

CALGARY -- Drew Doughty has already lived his Olympic dream twice, winning gold with Canada as a 20-year-old in 2010 in Vancouver and again four years later in Sochi.

Less than three months shy of his 36th birthday (Dec. 8), the Los Angeles Kings defenseman has a chance to represent Canada again at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

It is his motivation.

"I expect to be on the team," Doughty told NHL.com at Hockey Canada's 2025 National Teams Orientation Camp last month. "I know it's going to be hard for me to make it, but personally I expect to be on that team. I do think making the best team in the world at 36 years old is quite an accomplishment. That would be amazing. I've honestly been thinking about this way too much and it's still so far away."

Doughty laments the fact that this could be his fifth Olympic Games instead of his third, admitting to obvious disappointment that NHL players did not participate in the Olympics in 2018 or 2022.

However, he also recognizes what the potential opportunity in Milan next year means for his consistency, longevity and resiliency, how he's been able to keep his game at a high level even through some tough years in Los Angeles.

By the time he was 26, Doughty had won the Stanley Cup twice (2012, 2014), two Olympic gold medals and the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman (2015-16).

But things changed for him after that.

The NHL didn't go to the Olympics in 2018, when the Kings were swept in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. Los Angeles didn't make the playoffs from 2019-21, and then NHL players were not able to participate in the 2022 Olympics.

Since then, the Kings haven't made it out of the first round of the playoffs in the past four seasons, losing each time to the Edmonton Oilers. Doughty also missed the first 47 games last season because of an ankle injury.

"The focus is way different now," Doughty said. "Now it upsets me my last few years we went through a rebuild, things kind of went downhill in my prime and I feel like people don't see how good I actually still play out there and I want to show everybody."

Doughty did in February at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

He was added to Canada's roster three days before the tournament as an injury replacement for Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Doughty went to the 4 Nations having played in only six regular-season games, but he averaged 26:57 of ice time in those games.

"He was injured and sort of off of our radar screen, but I was very impressed with the training he did because he came back and started to play like 26 minutes right out of the gate," said St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, who is Canada's GM for the Olympics and led its management group for the 4 Nations. "I don't think that was by mistake. He wanted to prove to (coach) Jon [Cooper] and the rest of our staff that he was ready to play."

Doughty played in each of Canada's four games, had an assist and averaged 19:57 of ice time, including 20:54 in the 3-2 overtime win against the United States in the championship game.

"I showed I could still play at that level," Doughty said. "I mean, my ankle was mangled and I did pretty well."

His performance was more expected than a surprise.

"Just his mentality, like he's willing to play 35 (minutes) if he has to," said 4 Nations teammate and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, who, like Doughty, hopes to win his third Olympic gold medal in Milan. "He doesn't cheat that 35. He's going to play hard. He's going to play up in the rush. He's going to compete in front of the net. He's going to be physical when he needs to be, take a hit. He can just play a crazy amount of minutes and be ultra productive. Even with the injury that he had last year, he found some way to do it at a pretty high level at 4 Nations."

Doughty said he thinks his play at the 4 Nations will help him make Canada's Olympic team, but he can't rely on that and his experience to help him win a roster spot.

He was one of 13 defensemen at Canada's orientation camp. There are others who weren’t in Calgary who are on Canada's radar.

The competition for a roster spot is intense. Doughty has to build on how he finished last season, playing 24:08 per game with 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 30 games before playing 27:12 per game and totaling four points (one goal, three assists) in six playoff games.

"This summer has been huge for me," Doughty said. "I've been focusing on the Olympics this summer maybe more than I've been focusing on playing for the L.A. Kings. I want to win the Cup too, but this has been my focus, how hard I have to work this summer to get myself back and to have a great start to the season.

"This (Olympics) has come 16 years after the first one and 12 since my second one, and I didn't know if I'd ever have another opportunity. I'm going to do everything to get that opportunity again."

He can start earning it on Oct. 7, when the Kings host the Colorado Avalanche in the last game in an opening night tripleheader (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).

"He's going to have that opportunity," Armstrong said. "The reality with everyone is that Father Time is undefeated, and he has to crack that whip behind him and keep these young pups away so he can get one more crack at it."

NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika contributed to this report