Drew Doughty has only known one thing in his career.
The Los Angeles Kings.
Doughty, 36, is in his first season serving as the captain of the Kings and shared a heartfelt, two-page letter he wrote to the team’s former captain and the greatest hockey player of all time, Wayne Gretzky.
“Dear Mr. Gretzky, my name is Drew. I am 5 years old. I played hockey this year for the London Red Circle Raiders in the mite division,” Doughty wrote. “It was my 2nd year of hockey. Last year I scored 6 goals all year. This year I got 93 goals.”
As Doughty’s five-year-old self was writing to his hockey hero, he revealed that his coaches didn’t keep score, but the parents attending the games did.
Doughty went on to tell Gretzky that he is his favorite hockey player, and that the Kings were his “favourite team,” in true Canadian spelling.
“My mommy says I used to cry to stay up late and watch hockey when I was two years old.”
In the letter, Doughty asked Gretzky if he could do him a favor and say hi to then-Kings goalie Kelly Hrudley.
At the end of the letter, he went on to congratulate Gretzky on reaching his 2,500th NHL point and gave him a fun fact.
“Also my grandma was at Parkwood Hospital in London [Ontario]. She said one of her nurses went to your wedding,” Doughty wrote.
For Doughty, life has come full circle as he’s had a 19-year career in the NHL with the Kings, and will likely play the rest of his career with the franchise.
Doughty has put together a Hall of Fame resume in his career, being known as one of the top defensemen for the last two decades, while having won the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2016.
He also helped the franchise he grew up admiring win two Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014. During their 2012 title run, Doughty had four goals in the playoffs and collected 16 points with 12 assists.
