As is usually the case when GM Ken Holland is made available to the media, there’s a lot to unpack from his season-opening press conference. However, in this article we’re going to focus on the key Topic of the Day, defenseman Drew Doughty being named the 15th captain in LA Kings history.
Also joining Holland and Doughty at the afternoon gathering was new head coach Peter Laviolette.
Below are thoughts and comments from all three.
Holland’s opening remarks:
Thank you all for coming today. Here today, proud to introduce the fifteenth captain in the history of the LA Kings, Drew Doughty. First I’ll tell you about the process. When the year ended, obviously I knew that Anze Kopitar was going to retire. We knew that we had to put a leadership group together. I thought it was important first to get a coach in place, so in the exit meetings I talked to a number of players — all the players — and in my meeting with Drew at the end of the year I told Drew that I wanted to get a coach in place and then I was going to make decisions on the leadership group. He certainly was a leading candidate, in my opinion, to be the next captain of the LA Kings, but I didn’t want to make any decisions until I got a coach in place.
After we hired Peter, we talked a little bit about it. We waited until we got closer to the season, and in late August and September Peter and I had many conversations. Talked to Luc Robitaille, and eventually we decided that we thought, in the best interest of the hockey team, he should be the captain. Why the captain? I think first off, his on-ice résumé speaks for itself — what he’s meant to this team on and off the ice over a long period of time. He’s a competitor, he’s a warrior, he has a presence on the ice, he has a presence off the ice. He’s well respected in the locker room by his teammates, by management, by the new coach. He’s comfortable speaking up and saying what needs to be said, I think, both to the coaching staff, to management, and also to his teammates.
So, I think this was a natural transition, to go from the assistant captain to become the captain of the LA Kings. Very, very proud, very honored to announce that he’s going to be the next captain.
Laviolette’s opening comments:
Just to follow up from what Ken said. Even just texting Drew last night — it’s a big deal to be a captain of a professional sports team, and it’s an honor to represent a city, represent your team in a way that you want your team and your city to be represented. And Drew certainly embodies that. My conversations with Drew — we first went out to dinner, it was easy. The conversations were easy. I feel like we’ve started to build a relationship. But my knowledge of Drew goes back really from coaching against him and watching him play and the competitiveness that he brings to the game. I was sitting there saying, man, it’d be nice to have a defenseman like that on my team. And so now I get that opportunity.
But it’s more than that, after being here and spending time — because I’m the new guy in here, and I wanted to just get in and see him and talk to him. And he’s glue in the locker room. He’s there for his teammates. He cares about this organization and the city. And that was powerful. So with what he brings on the ice, and then the dynamic that he brings inside the locker room — I can feel his energy when I talk to him. I see it on the ice when I coached against him, and I can’t wait to coach with him. When I talk to him now, I feel his energy. Like, he wants this team to be successful. He wants to be the leader of this team. And I don’t think that there’s a better choice. So I’m happy to be here today with Drew Doughty as the announced captain of the LA Kings.
Doughty’s opening comments:
Thanks, guys. Man, this is the biggest honor — for me, one of the biggest accomplishments by far in my career. I wanted this so, so bad. It means the world to me, this organization. I’ve been an LA Kings fan since I was three years old and watched games, loved this organization, got to be a part of it and just grew to love it even more. And man, I’m just so over the moon about having this opportunity, and I promise to do my best. I know I’m a good leader. I know I have places to improve on, and I will do that. I’m going to go out there, compete every day, try to improve on my game, but at the same time help my teammates as much as I possibly can, whether it’s on the ice, off the ice, and then work with the coaching staff, work with Ken, and make this team a championship team again.
That’s what I keep playing for. I want to win a championship. Everyone in this room wants to win a championship, and we want to win that Stanley Cup. So that’s all I care about, and that’s what I’ll be pushing this team to hopefully accomplish.
Laviolette on the frequency and style of his in-season interaction with past captains of teams he’s coached:
I think there’s daily conversations with the team in general. I’m one to have meetings and communicate to the best of my ability with players. I certainly think that there’s more to that with regard to the captain and the leader of the team. And oftentimes it might just be communication between him and I. Oftentimes it could be the captains and the assistant captains, or it could be a leadership group. But the connection that Drew and I have — just like I said, when you talk to Drew you see his electricity. I get on the edge of my seat a little bit.
I’m excited listening to him talk about our team and the possibilities of this year. So the communication is every day with the team. Maybe not every day with Drew about a captain-coach type thing, but I know that there’s a good foundation that we’ve put down so far.
Laviolette on how sure he was that Doughty would be the pick when he left that initial dinner:
Drew was the first person that I met with, just knowing his tenure on the team and the fact that he had been an assistant captain and a leader. And I had other conversations as well inside of the group. But I left that dinner feeling really good about what he was going to bring to this team as a player and as a leader. There were more conversations with Ken, there were more conversations with Drew, and just the process that we went through.
Doughty on how emotional of a day this has been, and some of the qualities he brings to the table as captain:
Very emotional. When they first told me, yeah, I had chills, I was sweating. I even think I choked up a little bit talking back to them, responding to them. But yeah, it means the world to me. As a leader, I’m going to bring it every night on the ice like I always have. But the area that I can improve on, I think, is knowing the right moments to speak up — not speaking up all the time. I’m a guy that talks a lot, and maybe sometimes too much, and I think I need to be more aware of what moments, when to say what and when not to say it.
But yeah, I’m going to bring it every night. I have great relationships with every single player on that team, both personally and as a teammate. I know everyone, I hang out with everyone, and I love all of them, and I’ll do anything for any of my teammates. So I would say those are my best qualities — and I’m still a very good player, and I want to continue growing on that.
Doughty on his teammates saying he’s already encouraged them to speak up within the room, as well; and about his philosophy on trying to build a group of leaders, partially by encouraging younger players to speak their voice:
Everyone on this team has some type of leadership role, you know what I mean? Obviously there’s the big older group of leadership guys, but you can never say anything wrong. Like, guys are not going to judge you. We’re a family in that room. I want everyone to speak up, and I told them, I want you guys to be calling me out, you know what I mean? Like, I can go out there and call guys out or give them praise, but I want the same thing back. I don’t want guys to be afraid to say things like that to me — because when I was younger, I had that dynamic with the older players when I was a young player, and I thought that that was very successful, and obviously we won Cups that way. But yeah, everyone in that room has some type of leadership quality and role, and I want us all to work together.
Laviolette on having defenseman Chris Pronger as captain in Philadelphia and if there are any similar qualities shared by Doughty:
Well, you notice both these players on the ice, and you have for a long time. This is not somebody who found his way late in his career. He’s been an impact player for the Los Angeles Kings, as Chris had been during his tenure when he was playing. I think there’s a presence that goes with a captain. There’s a presence inside the room, there’s a presence on the ice, and it’s by their actions — what they say and what they do and how they lead. They command that. And I think that both those players have that, as well. But again, I’ve watched him play for so many years and what he brings to the table, and in the short time of me being here, seeing his impact in the room with his teammates is pretty impressive.
Laviolette on if this was always the intended timeline, to announce a new captain at the start of training camp, or if it just kind of evolved:
For me — getting here, sometimes it’s difficult, like, you’re not around the players on a regular basis, on a daily basis, although Drew was in all summer because he was really committed this summer, and so I was able to bump into him and talk to him. There’s not that interaction that I’m able to have with him today on the ice, in the room, in the drills. It’s just more as the season goes on. So being a new coach and coming in here, in my transition from the east coast to the west coast, it wasn’t always available conversations. And again, just going through the due diligence process of the team and making sure we’ve got the right guy — which we did — I think that that just takes a minute. So I think the timeline was for the training camp, for now.
Doughty on how a three-year-old boy in London, Ontario fell in love with the Kings:
Simple answer: Wayne Gretzky. Loved that guy. Looked up to him my entire career, still look up to him to this day. And I became a fan of everyone in this organization — with [Marty] McSorley, Kelly Hrudey, Rob Blake, with Luc Robitaille. Yeah, I had LA Kings — I think everyone knows this — but I had LA Kings pillowcases and LA Kings stuff all over my walls in my bedroom, and only had LA Kings jerseys. So yeah, I can’t believe how this has all played out.
[ed note: Laviolette – “I didn’t know that. That’s a cool story.”]
Doughty on the poise he’s showing today, whether he’s nervous or he’s still the guy who wears his emotions on his sleeve:
This is a big deal. I mean, besides winning, I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more in my hockey career than this. Every day this summer I thought about this, and I would be laying in bed thinking about it and be like, oh, I want this so bad — and like, what do I got to do to get it? What more can I do, and how can I improve if I do get it? So I don’t know. A lot of my emotions have just been so happy over the last three days, and I don’t know, I think it’s tired me out a little bit maybe. But no, I’m the same.
I’m going to be the same, you know, happy, playful guy, but I think you guys know I have that serious side of me too, and that competitive side. So I’m not going to change much, but I’m going to improve on the things I think I can improve on.
Holland on his comments earlier this summer about pausing contract talks with Doughty, and if anything has changed on that topic:
Drew and I have talked multiple times. We talked in May about it, and we talked in June about it — I think I told you guys — and then we’ve talked a couple of times here in the last ten days about this. Basically we’re going to wait until later on in the season or at the end of the season. Drew has no desire to go anywhere. You’ve just seen his passion for the LA Kings. And I just think that we’ve got to find — you guys are all watching what’s going on around the league with contracts. So we’ve got to find a solution that’s good for Drew and good for the LA Kings. He’s not going anywhere. And I want him to be here beyond this season.
So I don’t think either of us are worried about it, because he has no desire to leave. I had the good fortune to have my guy — I acquired a guy the same age as Dewey. His name was Chris Chelios. I had him for ten years. So he’s still a pup right now. So neither of us have any issues about the contract. He wants to be here, we want him to be here. I just think we’ve just got to find the right time.
Doughty on earning the respect of his teammates on and off the ice, and the importance of not holding back when he has something to say to them:
I think the reason my teammates respect me is because I’ve been in this league a long time, things I’ve done in this league. But at the same time they respect me because they know how much I care about them. I genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, care so much about these guys. If they have a problem that has nothing to do with hockey, I’m going to be the first guy that’s going to assist them with that. And yeah, I think that’s basically the bottom line. When guys respect you and you speak up in the room, then guys listen. You have to have that respect of all the players. But as I do have that respect, I’m still friends with all of them, and always will be.
Doughty on the idea of playing until he’s 47:
Yeah, that’s not happening. I wish, but no.
Doughty on the captaincy in hockey being so unique compared to any other sport, and why is it so special for him to have the C sewn onto his jersey:
I think the thing that makes it so special was, especially yesterday when Ken told the team at camp — just every single player coming up to me and giving me a hug and saying congrats, and you deserved it, and all the texts I received from people all over the world, but especially ex-teammates. That means — I don’t know, I don’t know how to explain that feeling. That means so much to me. Yeah, I don’t even know what your question was anymore. But yeah, something about that just is so special.
Doughty on some of the leadership characteristics he’s learned from players like Kopitar and Brown:
I’ve had some amazing captains before me — Kopitar, Brownie — some other great leaders: Stolly, Greener, [and there’s] even more guys: Mike Richards, Justin Williams, guys like that. I learned so much. I just sat there and learned, and I’m trying to take qualities from all those guys and use them for our team. Those qualities were passion, competitiveness, care, going outside of your comfort zone to maybe say something you don’t really want to say — but going outside that comfort zone to make something better for the team. I think those are some of the qualities. I’m sure I’m missing some, but I learned so much from all those leaders.
Doughty on if he feels any extra weight, having to replace Kopitar as the captain:
I don’t feel any weight. Yes, Kopi’s a great captain and an unbelievable player, but like I just said, I’ve learned so much from all these other guys. I don’t feel any — maybe a little bit of added responsibility, but I don’t feel it because I’m after Kopi. I don’t feel any added weight from that. I’m a different type of leader than Kopi. Kopi is more of a quiet, you know, do the things — showing the teammates what to do. I’m more of a loud, emotional leader. I do those things as well, but we’re different in that sense, and that’s why me and Kopi kind of led together well: because I was a loud guy and he was the ‘I show what we should do’ guy. So yeah, I do feel a little added pressure to be a great leader, for sure, but I don’t think it comes from the Kopitar thing.
Doughty on actually seeing the C on his jersey, knowing fans are going to be wearing his jersey with the C on it:
We did some media stuff, I think it was on Tuesday, and so that was the first time I got to see the C on the jersey. And yeah, that was an emotional thing. I had to get right into the media, but just, like, inside I just had a quick vibration of the body or whatever it was. And yeah, it’s super special, and like I said, I’m so proud, and everyone in my life is very proud of me too, so that’s amazing.
Doughty on if he’s heard from Kopitar yet:
Yeah, he texted — it was late last night, maybe like 10:30 or something. I don’t know what the time change is, but he texted me, and then we just started chatting about how Slovenia’s going. We turned the tables really quick. But yeah, he texted me.
Doughty on if Kempe said anything to him right after the announcement was made:
Adrian was the first guy to text me. A few guys found out before everyone else found out. So Adrian texted me and he said, you know, well deserved, you’ve earned this, and congratulations. And yes, of course, Juice would be one of the guys that could definitely be a captain. And yes, I have the C on my jersey, but we’re all leading together, like I said, and Juice is a big part of that. He’s probably been our best player for the last few years, and I hope he continues to keep trending up, ’cause he’s just gotten better and better every year. And yeah, Adrian could definitely be in this seat right now.
Holland on if he had a conversation with Kempe before the announcement was made public:
I think everybody understands what he’s meant to the organization on and off the ice. I think that there’s probably, even besides Juice, one or two other guys in that locker room that could be considered to be the captain. So we feel fortunate that we’ve got a lot of leaders in that locker room. Mikey Anderson has had an A, he’s a leader, so he certainly could. So I think that Drew’s going to have a lot of support. We’ve obviously made the decision to give Artemi Panarin an A. He was an assistant captain with the New York Rangers. I feel that we’ve got lots of good leaders in the locker room, but it just felt like, as Peter and I talked and we talked to Drew — and I think you can feel Drew’s passion and how proud he is for this responsibility — it just felt natural to make Drew the next captain.
Holland on how badly Doughty wanted this role, and if that desire factored into the decision:
Without a doubt it factored in. When you’ve talked to somebody, and with Drew’s résumé, how important being the next captain, being the next leader was to him, that certainly factored into our decision. I mean, there’s lots of other reasons, but that certainly would be a factor.
Doughty on his kids being old enough to understand what this means:
Yeah. Nicole took a really cute video. I told her — she was the first person I told — and then she didn’t want to tell the kids, she wanted me to come home and tell the kids myself. And so she got a really cool video of them being super happy. My three-year-old had no idea what we were talking about. The two older ones were jumping around screaming, give me a hug, and the little one kind of just followed suit, but she has no idea what we’re talking about yet. But yeah, that means a lot — for my entire family. It means the world to have this opportunity.
Doughty on what he thought he was being called to Laviolette’s office for:
At first I didn’t think anything of it. I just thought Peter wanted to meet with me. But I had had a meeting with Peter the night before and we had just gone over things, and he told me, like, great job working hard this summer — because I really did bust my balls this summer. But at the end of it he’s like, is there anything else on your mind? I was like, not going to lie to you, this captain thing’s been on my mind all summer, you know. And he was like, get some sleep, you know, things are trending in the right direction, just don’t worry about this, just go get ready for camp. And then the next day he called me in. And I decided he was just going to tell me something about practice, but then I saw Luc in there as well, and then Ken was on the phone, and right away sweat, chills started happening, and I was like, it’s either yes or no. And obviously they said yes, so it’s a beautiful day.
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