Matthew Tkachuk and Drew Doughty: anatomy of a friendship

Since he entered the National Hockey League as a fresh-faced teenager to begin the 2016-17 season, Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk has developed a reputation as an agitator. His conduct around the net-front area have frequently led to scrums, which have been jokingly referred to by fans and pundits as him “making friends.”

Arguably Tkachuk’s notorious on-ice friendship has involved Los Angeles Kings defender Drew Doughty. Let’s delve into their friendship a bit, shall we?

The 2016-17 Season

The first two games Tkachuk played against the Kings were largely unremarkable. He had a minor penalty and was a combined minus-two.