Drew Doughty’s bond with the Kings didn’t begin at the 2008 NHL Draft, or even during the years when scouts were tracking him in the OHL. It started much earlier - deep in childhood, long before he became the franchise’s captain.
Last month, when he was introduced in that role, Doughty made it plain how much Los Angeles has meant to him.
“[This] means the world to me, this organization,” he said. “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.”
He also explained where that obsession came from, tracing it back to Wayne Gretzky and the Kings stars who surrounded him in that era.
“Simple answer: Wayne Gretzky; loved that guy,” said the veteran blueliner. “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.”
There was already some evidence of that devotion on the back of a 1992-93 hockey card from his days with the Red Circle Raiders. Doughty even wore No. 99 for Team Canada at an international tournament when he was about 10.
Now he’s added something even more personal to the story. Earlier this afternoon, Doughty posted to Instagram a letter he wrote to Gretzky when he was five years old. The caption read, ‘Letter I wrote to Gretzky when I was 5,’ along with the text ‘LA King for life.’
The letter, dated April 18/95, showed just how early the Kings had taken hold of him. In it, Doughty wrote that he was 5 years old, that he played that season for the London Red Circle Raiders in the Mite division, and that it was his second year of hockey.
He said he scored 6 goals the year before and 93 goals that season, adding that the adults always said the games were tied because “We don’t keep score, and the coaches always tell us we tied. The moms and dads count the goals.”
He told Gretzky, “You are my favourite hockey player, and LA Kings is my favourite team.” Doughty also wrote about going with his grandpa to see Gretzky play against the Maple Leafs, a 7-4 Kings win in which he saw Gretzky score 1 goals.
Doughty added that his mom said he used to cry to stay up late and watch hockey when he was 2 years old, and he mentioned visits to Oakville, where his parents showed him Gretzky’s sports centre in Brantford. He wrote that one day they would take him inside, and that one day they were going to eat at Gretzky’s restaurant by the SkyDome.
He also asked for an autograph, noting that his dad had been reading him a book about Gretzky and that the book said Gretzky’s first autographs came from Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull, who had written back after he contacted them. Doughty said he had 3 Wayne Gretzky pictures on his wall and would “really like an autograph too.”
The letter went on to list more signatures he already had - Bobby Orr, Rocket Richard, Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, and Wendel Clark - and ended with a request that Gretzky say hi to Kelly Hrudey. Doughty wrote, “I hope you guys have a good year. I’ll be watching you whenever I can.”
He signed off, “Love and best wishes, Your fan, Drew Doughty,” and added a postscript congratulating Gretzky on 2500 points and mentioning that his grandma had been at Parkwood Hospital in London, where she said one of her nurses went to Gretzky’s wedding.
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