The Los Angeles Kings have made a big announcement just days before the start of training camp. News emerged that Anze Kopitar will retire at the end of the season, which will be his 20th. Team officials made the announcement early on Thursday evening.
LA Kings captain Anze Kopitar is set to retire at the end of this season.This coming season will be his 20th NHL season.
Anze Kopitar Will Retire From the Los Angeles Kings at the End of the Season
Kopitar has spent his entire 19-year career with the Kings. The 38-year-old registered 21 goals and 46 points for 87 points in 81 games last season. He recorded 18 minutes and 57 seconds of average ice time. The Slovenian had a Corsi for of 54.6 and a relative Corsi of 2.4.
Kopitar has 440 goals and 838 assists for 1,278 points in 1,454 career games. He’s a two-time Stanley Cup winner, but has also picked up several individual honours. He is the reigning Lady Byng Trophy winner, an award that he’s won three times. Kopitar is also a two-time Selke Trophy winner and the 2021-22 Mark Messier Award winner.
He’s also represented his native Slovenia a the international level. Kopitar has been a member of the Slovenian team at the junior and senior level. His family is royalty in his home country with his father, Matjaž, as a coach and his brother, Gaspar, as a teammate of the 2014 Olympic team.
What It Means
Kopitar is one of the game’s more universally-loved players. He’s always played the game with great effort, but has always played the right way.
The surefire Hall of Famer forward is the Kings’ all-time leader in games played (1,454) and assists (838), and second in points (1,278). He played a massive role in the Kings’ two Stanley Cups and is getting his well-deserved victory tour.
He’ll be a Hall of Fame player, but he wants to end his career with one more deep Stanley Cup Playoff run. Kopitar wants to end his career on a high-note.
Main photo by: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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