They make you feel like you belong - How Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar have shaped the Kings

Last updated Nov 11, 2022 Edit Source

• News post

• Ryan S. Clark

To look forward, Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar have to look back. That’s when they start rattling off the names of the people who guided them when they first broke into the NHL.

• Drew Doughty
• Anze Kopitar
• Brandt Clarke
• Quinton Byfield
• Mikey Anderson
• Alex Turcotte

# Anze Kopitar

What you are trying to do is pass down knowledge. Then what you need to realize is not every player is the same. Not every leader leads the same way too. You try to stay in the moment as much as you can and you do it within yourself. … For example, I’m usually, or most of the time, not the loudest person in the locker room. But there are times when stuff needs to be said.

I’m sure it’s the same thing with these guys now. Some of these guys watched us growing up 10 years ago winning the first Stanley Cup. It’s got to be sometimes a little uncomfortable. But between me and Drew, I feel like we’re fairly open people and very approachable. We try to make it as comfortable as we possibly can.

We’ve had some not so good teams at the start and then we had some really good teams. I think our upside now can be very high. I see the potential here with this team and I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else.

# Drew Doughty

When I got to this level, I did not realize the overall effect I have and [Lombardi] helped me grow into the player I am now. I just did not really think about being a leader. I did not look up to people for leadership. … The one thing I never realized until I got older is people would say, ‘Guys on the team are watching you.’ I was like, ‘Why the hell are they watching me?’

That was the one thing he always taught me: This is your team, but if you don’t push the load, who else is going to push it? He said, ‘You have to do this’ and I would ask, ‘Why not ask someone else? Why does it have to be me?’ He said, ‘Because this is your job and responsibility.’ That was only three or four years ago when I had that discussion. Now I realize it is part of growing up.

# Mikey Anderson

He’s hard on guys, but he is also patient. If something doesn’t go right, he’ll let you know what we need to do to fix it. But when things go right, he’s the first guy to tell you, ‘Hey man, great work. Keep doing this. Keep doing that.’

They make you feel like you belong and you’re part of the team. I don’t know if that always happens. But we have been so lucky to have those two, [Jonathan Quick] and I’ll even throw Brownie [Dustin Brown] in there too. For my first couple years, those guys all welcomed the young guys with open arms to be part of their own family.