TORONTO — Mike Babcock is more impressed with the hardware defenceman Drew Doughty has won than he is disappointed about his lack of a Norris Trophy.
"He’s got two Cups, doesn’t he?" Babcock said. "Two Cups, I think he’s got a couple of gold medals, too, doesn’t he? He’s doing OK."
Doughty won two gold medals with Team Canada under Babcock and lifted the Stanley Cup twice with the Los Angeles Kings. But one of the best defencemen of this generation has finished second, third, sixth, ninth and 10th in Norris Trophy voting during his stellar career.
The London, Ont., native just turned 26, but he still thinks about the Norris.
"Oh yeah, all the time," Doughty said. "Hopefully one day we’ll get it, but we’ll see."
Doughty is almost halfway through a season where he’s made another strong case. He’s not as offensively productive as two-time winner Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators, who’s a point-a-game defenceman, but Doughty also plays over 27 minutes a game and is a force in all situations.
Toronto Maple Leafs centre Peter Holland, who faced Doughty more during his time with the Anaheim Ducks, conceded being amazed that Doughty hasn’t won the Norris yet.
"Oh man, he’s so smart out there, he’s in two places at once, he skates really well, he’s a big body, great vision on the ice, makes a great first pass – the list goes on," Holland said. "Whatever you can do well as a hockey player, Drew Doughty does it."
Doughty was Babcock’s best player on the way to gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics after performing beyond expectations in Vancouver in 2010. So it should be no surprise that the Leafs’ coach glows about him.
"He knows how to play right," Babcock said before Saturday’s game between the Maple Leafs and Kings. "The bigger the game, the better he plays. He can stickhandle in a phone booth, he can shoot it, he’s got the big butt there. He doesn’t mind drilling you the odd time. He’s a real hockey player."
Some of Doughty’s best performances have come in the Stanley Cup playoffs and Olympics. Maybe Doughty can’t quite explain what makes him a big-game player, but some of it is mental.
"I’m one of the most competitive guys I think ever," he said. "I don’t want to lose games. It’s not always about winning games. I love winning, obviously, but I absolutely hate losing. When big games come and it’s a do or die situation, I know I need to raise my level of play and play my best game, and usually I’m able to do that."
Doughty is arguably the most complete, all-around defenceman in the NHL right now. That’s no slight to Norris winners Karlsson, P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens and Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks or to Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators, who also amazingly hasn’t won it.
Veteran defenceman Christian Ehrhoff knew how good Doughty was before signing with the Kings last off-season. But one thing caught him by surprise seeing Doughty up close.
"He never seems to get tired or anything like that," Ehrhoff said. "He just can skate forever."
Doughty has averaged over 23 minutes a game in every regular season of his career, one of only nine players to do that since he entered the league. In the playoffs, he has averaged over 27 minutes a game and has consistently been one of the best players on the ice.
"I always would rather play more minutes than less," Doughty said. "If I’m playing 30 minutes I feel like that’s when I play my best games. I realize I can’t do that every single night. It’s going to get to me eventually. Whatever minutes I play I’ve just got to make the most of them."
Few players make the most of minutes more than Doughty.
"He’s a really, really, really good player," Babcock said. "I love Doughtsy, he’s a good kid and he knows how to play right."
