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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: KINGS v DEVILSJune 3, 2012Drew DoughtyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day THE MODERATOR: Questions for Drew Doughty. Q. (No microphone.) DREW DOUGHTY: We had one line, Kopie going. Not that the other guys weren't doing a good job, too. They had the familiarity of being in Philly together. They clicked. Q. When they first made the trade, there were some questions. Jeff wasn't playing his best hockey. It was talked about a lot in the media. As a teammate that witnessed that, are you happy for him when you see good things like this? DREW DOUGHTY: Oh, yeah, very happy for him. He's a great guy in the room. Everyone loves him. He came in and fit in right away. He's a great player, maybe even though he struggled at the beginning of the season. He was battling some injuries, wasn't playing his best hockey. Now it's the most important time of the year. He's playing great. Q. He's played in great games before, been in a Cup final before. DREW DOUGHTY: Yeah. Been a dominant player everywhere he's gone. He's a big player in a big‑time game. That's a big reason why we traded for him. You can see how he's playing right now, too, that he rises to the occasion. Q. Do you think discipline needs to be more of a focus for you guys? DREW DOUGHTY: Yeah, I think we're doing a good job between whistles, doing that ref stuff. We're taking some minor penalties. They have a good power play. Our penalty kill has been carrying us through those series. Even though we're confident in our penalty kill, we can't give them that advantage. Q. You seem to be in total high gear. That has to feel really good for you. DREW DOUGHTY: Yeah, it feels great. I'm having a lot of fun right now. I know in order for our team to be successful, I got to be the best defenseman on the ice every night. Even though I kind of put that pressure on myself, I'm having fun. I think that's when I'm at my best. I'm enjoying coming to the rink every day, being in this moment in the spotlight in the Stanley Cup Finals. Q. I know you have the pressure of being in the finals. Seems like things are coming easier for you now than earlier. DREW DOUGHTY: I'm treating it as every other game. I know it's do or die, a lot of things to think about. I'm trying to play my game. Like, I said, it's a moment you have to enjoy and embrace. At this stage of the year, I want to be at my best. The way I'm going to do that, be successful, is having fun and be myself. Q. Did you put a lot of pressure on yourself after the contract, people were expecting greatness? DREW DOUGHTY: Yeah, I think that's probably why I struggled the first half of the year, put all that pressure on myself with a big contract. I just wasn't doing the things I knew I could. I wasn't happy coming to the rink every day. I was disappointed in my play. I was disappointed that I wasn't playing up to the standards I had got myself into. Finally things started turning around. My play definitely got a lot better. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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