"He accepted it like he won the lottery." Drew Doughty may be long in the tooth, but his passion hasn't diminished

MONTREAL, Quebec – After sustaining an injury in a preseason match against the Vegas Golden Knights, it appeared that Drew Doughty's hopes of representing Canada at the 4 Nations Face Off were dashed. 

A two-time Olympic gold medalist, World Junior gold medalist, and World Hockey Champion, the LA Kings defender has vast experience and success with Canada internationally. So you'd think his passion to chase more glory would wane a bit now that he's in the twilight of his career. 

Not the case. 

Canadian head coach, Jon Cooper told the media in Montreal that Doughty's passion remains unmatched. "He was the only guy I actually got to tell he made the team.. He accepted it like he won the lottery. That excitement is what you want." 

As the elder statesmen on the Canadian blue line and coming in after having played only six games, it was expected Doughty may have a reduced role. “I was nervous to make this team,” he said. “I really wanted to make it. I was nervous when I came back from my injury, that’s for sure. It was probably the first time I’ve been nervous since 2010 to be honest. 

Instead, he's going to start out taking a regular shift and spread that infectious passion around the rink.