Kopitar sees legendary NHL career with Kings end on ‘bittersweet’ note

LOS ANGELES -- Anze Kopitar skated to center ice and took a deep breath. As he waved, his Los Angeles Kings teammates circled him, tapping their sticks in his honor, and the fans at Crypto.com Arena gave him a standing ovation.

His 20-season NHL career, all of it spent with the Kings, was over. He felt the emotions at the end of the regular season, but this was final, with the Kings getting swept after losing 5-1 to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round on Sunday.

“It hit me about, what, five, six minutes to go that this could be it, and for the last 20 years I’ve never experienced that emotion. (It) was, ‘There’s always a next year, there’s always a next year.’ Now it’s done. It’s hard to comprehend. At the same time, these are the two reasons I’m really going to enjoy next year, too,” said an emotional Kopitar, who was flanked by his 11-year-old daughter, Neza, and 9-year-old son, Jakob, during his postgame press conference.

“It’s very bittersweet, for sure. There are going to be some tears, yes, but that’s the way the life goes, right? It’s a circle. It’s been one (heck) of a ride for 20 years. As I said before, the good, the bad and the ugly. Not the way we wanted to go out, but it happened and we have to live with it.”

The Avalanche will await the winner of the Dallas Stars-Minnesota Wild series. The Wild defeated the Stars 3-2 in overtime on Saturday to tie the best-of-7 series 2-2. The Kings, meanwhile, had to swallow the bitter pill of losing in the first round for the fifth consecutive season with losing their captain, their backbone, the cornerstone of their team in Kopitar.

Forward Adrian Kempe’s voice shook as he answered questions on Kopitar. Defenseman Drew Doughty, Kopitar’s teammate for 18 of his 20 seasons in Los Angeles, struggled to talk of the emotional end.

“Yeah, I’m trying not to think about it right now, especially during this interview, but man, he had an unbelievable career,” Doughty said. “He just meant so much to this organization, and it’s going to be tough without him.”

The Kings' captain since 2016, Kopitar helped lead them to Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014. He won the Selke Trophy, which is awarded annually to the League’s top defensive forward, in 2015-16 and 2017-18.

Kopitar retires as the Kings’ all-time scoring leader with 1,316 points (452 goals, 864 assists) in 1,521 career games. He passed Marcel Dionne (1,307 points; 550 goals, 757 assists in 921 games) on March 14 for that milestone. The 38-year-old also had 89 points (27 goals, 62 assists) in 107 career playoff games.

“Just so much respect for him. I think we all around the League feel the same way, just the ultimate pro,” said Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who was the first to shake hands with Kopitar following the game.

“I don’t really know him that well, but obviously from competing against him and things you hear throughout the League, he just commands so much respect for how he plays the game, how he represents himself and the team and the city. Obviously, he’s got the hardware to show for it, plays the game the right way. He was a staple for the Kings through their Cup runs and whatnot. That’s a long time to play this game, so respect to him and I wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

After Kopitar shook hands with the Avalanche players and coaches, he went over to the Colorado bench to shake hands with their trainers and supporting staff. It was true Kopitar, part of what’s made him so revered.

“Just the presence he has and just the way he treats people. He treats the guys in the back that no one sees the exact same as his teammates. If they are his friends, they are his friends and they’re his teammates," Kings interim coach D.J. Smith said. "You hope that the guys that played with him and the guys who will come back here will take that and continue that on. No one’s bigger than the team, and ‘Kopi’ showed that every single day that I was here. Everyone was the same.

“He knows everyone’s kids names. These things that go by the wayside that star players in sports today, a lot of them don’t do anymore. Kopi’s a throwback and a classy, classy human being. You hope he rubbed off on enough people for the new era and for (Quinton Byfield) and these guys to move in a new direction. You hope it wears off on them, and they can start their own legacy.”

Kopitar’s ready for the next chapter, though. He’s ready to watch his children continue to grow. As he said: “It’s been 11 years, nine years with so-called part-time dad. Now they get him full time.” He’s ready to watch them play their games, participate in their competitions, perfect tying his daughter’s ponytail.

This season didn’t end the way Kopitar or the Kings wanted, but he’ll be remembered fondly by so many in the hockey world. How would he want to be remembered?

“As a good teammate,” he said. “A good teammate and I guess a two-time Stanley Cup champion. That works.”