EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Los Angeles Kings captain Anže Kopitar announced Thursday that he will retire after this season, the 20th of his career.
Kopitar, 38, likely is headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame after he concludes a career that has included Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014, along with Selke Trophy wins in 2016 and 2018. Kopitar, the first native of Slovenia to play in the NHL, also has been awarded the Lady Byng Trophy three times (2016, 2023, 2025).
Kopitar made the announcement with a news conference at the Kings’ practice facility at the end of the first day of training camp, alongside his wife, Ines, and their children, Neža and Jakob.
“These guys sitting here with me have been with me,” Kopitar said, “and now they deserve a husband and a dad to be home to be present for the moments that are going to be leading up, especially for these guys (children). They’re soon going to be teenagers, and we all know that that’s a very important time of their lives, and I want to be as present as I can be.
“Why announce now? I just felt that, in a simple way to put it, I want to get this out of the way now, to where I’m not a distraction for the team. For example, if we’re in a fight coming down the stretch, the last thing I want to do is take any attention away from the team and put it on myself. I just felt that this is the best time. But in saying that, I am looking extremely forward to this next season. I still have a lot of motivation. I’ve got a lot of energy, a lot of desire to compete at the very highest level, and the moves that we’ve made, the moves that (GM) Ken (Holland) made, I think we’re a better team than we were last year and I just cannot wait to get going.”
Anže Kopitar announced his retirement alongside his wife and their two children. (Eric Stephens / The Athletic)
Two summers ago, Kopitar signed a two-year extension worth $14 million that hinted to the end of his playing days. Kopitar coincidentally announced his retirements hours after his fellow Los Angeles star, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, announced his retirement at the end of the season.
“It must have been something in the universe. It was perfect for me. Now, I can fly under the radar,” Kopitar said with a grin.
Kopitar will have his No. 11 retired by the Kings one day, alongside Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne, Rogie Vachon, Luc Robitaille, Dave Taylor, Rob Blake and Dustin Brown. One of the best two-way centers of his generation, Kopitar is the Kings’ all-time leader in games (1,454), assists (838) and game-winning goals (78). He needs 30 points to pass Marcel Dionne’s club record of 1,307. His 440 goals are third in team history, trailing only Robitaille and Dionne.
Kopitar’s career has been marked by remarkable consistency. The Kings drafted him with the No. 11 pick in 2005 and he finish fourth in Calder Trophy race two years later. His 20-goal, 61-point rookie season started a run in which he topped 20 goals on 14 occasions and reached the 60-point mark 16 times. (He had career-highs of 35 goals and 92 points as a Hart Trophy finalist in 2018.) Last season, Kopitar had 21 goals and 67 points.
“He might have a tough game but it ain’t going to bother him tomorrow,” Darryl Sutter, who coached Kopitar for six seasons, told The Athletic in a 2023 interview. “And when he has a great game, that’s not going to bother him tomorrow, either. He’s so consistent in his game and his shift to shift, the way he plays. He’s easily and not arguably one of the best centermen ever to play in the National Hockey League. It’s not even close.”
Kopitar’s announcement might motivate a Kings team that hasn’t advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs since winning the 2014 Cup win. Kopitar has been L.A.’s captain since 2016.
“He’s the face of the organization for a reason,” Kings right wing Alex Laferriere said last season, after Kopitar’s 1,400th game. “Been around here forever. … He always looks out for the younger guys. Even when he’s looking out for everybody, he’s still performing at the best of his ability. He’s an unbelievable player, unbelievable guy and I’m just lucky to be able to learn from him.”
Among active NHL players, Kopitar ranks fourth in games, third in assists, fifth in points and eighth in goals. He needs 46 more games to reach 1,500 played. Only 22 players have appeared in that many regular-season games.
Kopitar said he discussed his retirement plans with longtime teammate and friend Dustin Brown, who retired in 2022.
“He’s always been the voice of reason,” Kopitar said. “Quite frankly, he said he was surprised I signed for two more years (in 2023). That was the comment that really, I guess, solidified my decision.”
(Photo: Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images)
Source link
