Future Hockey Hall of Fame center Anze Kopitar announced his planned retirement at the end of the 2025-26 season. Kopitar, 38, has been a model of all-around consistency throughout his career. The Slovenian star has spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Kings. Year after year, he epitomizes two-way excellence on the ice, class and dignity off the ice.
Kopitar enters the final year of his career with 1,278 points (440 goals, 838 assists) in 1,454 regular season games. He has won the Selke Trophy twice for his two-way play. Meanwhile, he collected the Lady Byng Trophy three times for his gentlemanly play. He recorded 348 penalty minutes for his entire regular season career to date (30 in the last three seasons combined). Moreover, he won the Mark Messier leadership away in 2021-22.
The Kings’ fortunes rose, fell, and started to rise again over the course of his stellar career to date. Meanwhile, he’s been an integral part of two Stanley Cup championship squads in 2011-12 and 2013-14. Overall, he has dressed so far in 103 career playoff games ( 89 points).
Kopitar: A pro’s pro
Kopitar plays a very cerebral game on both sides of the puck. He always has. It’s not hyperbole to say that mental mistakes have been extremely few and far between over the course of any season. Meanwhile, despite his low penalties totals, he never fails to compete.
It is every player’s dream to retire under his own terms. Kopitar chose to do just that.
“There’s a time and place to where you reflect and you, kind of, imagine your path going forward,” he told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.
“I still very good on the ice, and everything. My numbers have been pretty good. But I have a family at home, and they’ve needed me just as bad, if not more, than the guys do on the ice.”
Kopitar mentioned that he has two young children, one on the brink of adolescence. He’s had enough enough success in his professional lift to prioritze seeing his kids grow up year round.
“(My kids) deserve to have their dad at home a lot more than the hockey season allows,” Kopitar told Kaplan.
Kopitar makes it official
On Thursday, the Kings organized a press conference for Kopitar to officially announce his retirement plan. The player’s family sat beside him at the press conference.
Kopitar said that wants to take one more shot at a deep playoff run with Los Angeles before he hangs up his skates.
A vital place in Kings’ history
Kopitar holds a crucial place in the history of the Los Angeles franchise. Based on the weight of his entire hockey career and the seismic importance of his acquisition, Wayne Gretzky is the most important figure in Kings’ history. However, above all else, Gretzky’s greatness is defined by his years with the Edmonton Oilers.
Meanwhile, if one asked “Who is the greatest Kings-specific icon?”, Marcel Dionne would top many lists. Charlie Simmer, Dave Taylor, Bernie Nicholls, Luc Robitaille and (more recently) Drew Doughty would all be in an LA Mount Rushmore conversation. However, Kopitar clearly deserves serious consideration as well.
If one limits the list to players who spent their entire active career in Los Angeles, it’s a four-person list for the top spots: Kopitar, Taylor, Doughty and, based on leadership and symbolic importance, Dustin Brown.
