- Drew Doughty shared a letter he wrote to Wayne Gretzky as a five-year-old in 1995
- The new Kings captain asked for an autograph and a hello to a certain goalie
- Read below to see the letter and watch the video of Doughty explaining his Gretzky fandom
Drew Doughty has been a Kings fan a lot longer than he’s been a King.
The Los Angeles captain posted a two-page letter to Instagram on Monday that he wrote to Wayne Gretzky in April 1995, when he was five years old and growing up in London, Ontario. He captioned it simply: “LA King for life.”
Take a look at the letter:
Little Drew got right down to business. He introduced himself, said he played Mite hockey for the London Red Circle Raiders, and reported a jump from six goals the year before to 93.
He wasn’t thrilled with how his league handled the scoreboard, though. Doughty explained the setup to Gretzky:
“We don’t keep score, and the coaches always tell us we tied. The moms and dads count the goals.”
Then came the big reveal. Gretzky was his favourite player and the Kings were his favourite team, Canadian spelling and all. He’d even seen The Great One in person, tagging along with his grandpa to watch the Kings beat the Maple Leafs 7-4.
Page two had the actual ask. His dad had read him a book where Gretzky talked about writing to Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull for autographs as a kid, so Doughty figured he’d try the same move. He already had signatures from Bobby Orr, Rocket Richard, Howe, Jean Beliveau and Wendel Clark, plus three Gretzky pictures on his wall.
Gretzky wasn’t the only King on his mind, either. Doughty tacked on one more request:
“Also, could you please say hi to Kelly Hrudey for me.”
A P.S. congratulated Gretzky on reaching 2,500 points “last night” and threw in a family connection. Doughty’s grandma had been at Parkwood Hospital in London, where one of her nurses went to Gretzky’s wedding.
Less than three weeks earlier, the Kings named Doughty the 15th captain in franchise history, replacing the retired Anze Kopitar. So the kid who wrote to the Kings’ biggest star now wears the “C” himself.
Doughty was asked at his introductory press conference how a kid from London ended up loving a team in Los Angeles. His answer came fast:
“Simple answer: Wayne Gretzky. Loved that guy. Looked up to him my entire career, still look up to him to this day.”
Watch Doughty’s captaincy press conference video:
Now 36 and in his 19th season, Doughty has spent his whole career in Los Angeles. He’s won two Stanley Cups and a Norris Trophy along the way.
No word yet on whether Gretzky ever wrote back. Hopefully Hrudey at least got the message.
