Why Doughty is Conn Smythe fave
CHICAGO -- Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty admits there are times when he loses it on the ice.
For example, Game 7 against the Anaheim Ducks. He got so emotional he said Dustin Brown had to come calm him down on the bench.
Those emotions came out again in Game 2 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Down two goals, in danger of dropping the first two games of the Western Conference finals, the anger returned.
'I'm a bit of a snap show sometimes when I'm out there,' Doughty said. 'I get mad at myself in those situations because I feel like I have to be a leader on this team and I have to lead our team in the right direction. At the same time, I like to keep the other guys accountable, so if they're making a mistake, I'm going to let them know about that. Maybe I'm a little too hard on guys sometimes.'
He knows some see it as a weakness. The anger, he said, brings out the best in his game. And he backed it up, with a big shot that Jeff Carter deflected on the power play in the third period to tie Game 2 against the Blackhawks. The Kings took it from there.
The assist gave Doughty 10 points in 16 playoff games this spring. His possession numbers continue to be among the best, with the Kings controlling 55.3 percent of even-strength shot attempts when he's on the ice.
Slowly, his case is building.
2014 PLAYOFF STATS
A defenseman hasn't won the Conn Smythe since Scott Niedermayer did it with the Ducks in 2007. Since 1990, only four defensemen have won the Conn Smythe: Brian Leetch, Scott Stevens, Nicklas Lidstrom and Niedermayer.
Without a doubt, Doughty should be in the conversation this year and he's not alone. No team gets this far without a reliable anchor on its defense and the Montreal Canadiens have that in P.K. Subban, the Blackhawks have two in Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, and the New York Rangers' Ryan McDonagh has overcome a slow start to re-establish himself as one of the best defensemen in this postseason.
They might be the most important players on their respective teams, but the reality is they're Conn Smythe underdogs.
Brian Burke, the GM of the Ducks team to last have a defenseman win the Conn Smythe, thinks that's a mistake. He explained it this way: If you look at a Stanley Cup-winning team like a pyramid, the goalie sits at the top as the most important piece. Right below the goalie comes the defense.
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