LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anze Kopitar skated to center ice and slowly circled, his arm raised in gratitude, while he took in one last standing ovation. His Los Angeles Kings teammates pounded their sticks on the ice before escorting him to the bench and up the tunnel for the final time.
The Kings captain's two-decade NHL career ended Sunday with the pain of a first-round playoff sweep by the Colorado Avalanche, yet he also basked in the love and well-wishes of every fan and teammate who came along for the last stretch of this remarkable journey.
“It was hard to keep it together, really,” Kopitar said. “Being here for 20 years, more than half of my lifetime, it’s extremely special. I really appreciate the fans.”
After arriving in Los Angeles as a raw Slovenian teenager, Kopitar played more games and scored more points than anybody in Kings history. He grew into a team captain and a family man with a wife and two children.
And he won two Stanley Cups, of course.
With a formidable legacy secured, Kopitar could smile through tears as he began the next chapter of his life in retirement.
“It’s very bittersweet, for sure," Kopitar said afterward with his kids standing nearby. "There's going to be some tears, yes, but that's the way life goes, right? It’s a circle. It’s been one hell of a ride for 20 years. The good, the bad and the ugly. Not the way we wanted to go out, but it happened, and we've got to live with it.”
Kopitar's 20th season with the Kings ended with their 5-1 loss to the powerhouse Avalanche, who have looked like the NHL's best team for most of this season. Kopitar had experience in being on the best team during Los Angeles' run to its only two championships and a Western Conference finals in a three-season stretch of glory from 2012-14.
The Kings never recaptured that excellence in his second decade, losing seven consecutive first-round playoff series, but he served as their captain for 10 years and cemented his status as a beloved sports figure in Southern California.
Even after the Avalanche won the first three games of this series, Kopitar was hopeful his career wasn't quite over. When Colorado went up 4-1 in the third period of Game 4, he realized time was short.
“It hit me with about five, six minutes to go that this could be it,” Kopitar said. “For the last 20 years, I’ve never experienced that. There’s always a next game, there’s always a next year, and now it’s done. So it’s hard to comprehend.”
His fans in Los Angeles didn’t want to say goodbye: They chanted his name repeatedly in the third period and serenaded him with “Thank you Kopi!” He got standing ovations on his final two shifts before the final horn.
He then got hugs from Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog and superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar in a warm postgame handshake line.
“He’s a special guy on and off the ice with what he’s done and what he’s meant to this city,” said Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns, who spent many years playing against Kopitar with the rival San Jose Sharks.
Adrian Kempe and other Kings were in tears afterward when they contemplated life after Kopitar’s captaincy. Drew Doughty, Kopitar's teammate since 2008, was uncharacteristically lost for words.
“I'm trying not to think about it right now, but man, he had an unbelievable career,” said Doughty, now the only player left in Los Angeles from its two championship teams. “He means so much to this organization. It's going to be tough without him.”
The Kings made 11 playoff appearances with Kopitar, who played in a franchise-record 107 postseason games. Only Wayne Gretzky scored more points for Los Angeles in the playoffs than Kopitar.
He ended the regular season as the Kings' career leader in games played (1,521), assists (864), points (1,316 after finally passing Marcel Dionne last month), overtime points (34) and game-winning goals (79). He scored his final goal on March 28, and he went scoreless in the four-game series against Colorado.
The farewell that began in September with his retirement announcement finally ended in late April. Kopitar has said he is moving his family back to Slovenia next year to allow his children to pursue their passions in hockey and figure skating.
“That's what they deserve,” Kopitar said of his kids. “They've been 11 years (and) 9 years with a so-called part-time dad, and now they'll get full time.”
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