The Los Angeles Kings have been one of the most successful franchises in modern NHL history, most notably winning two Stanley Cups in the early 2010’s on the back of an incredibly talented core that stayed loyal to this team for a long time.
The two standouts on that squad that remained in LA for years were Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, and this past season was the final in the storied career of the former, who retires as arguably the greatest player in franchise history. It’s unclear how long Doughty will remain active in LA, but for Kopitar, a player that stayed around throughout it all in LA, he has officially been rewarded, with the team announcing major plans for Kopitar during the upcoming season.
Kopitar to Have Jersey Retired, Statue Unveiled
GettyAnze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings.
After exactly 20 seasons with the Kings, the former No. 11 overall draft pick called it quits, and even at 38-years-old in his final season he remained productive, tallying 12 goals and 38 points across 67 games played. However, it was clear his time was up, and after giving everything to this team and helping lead them to two Stanley Cups throughout his career, he retires as a legend and a player that leads many statistical categories in Kings franchise history.
As a result, he became a fan favorite and a franchise legend, and now, he’ll be remembered forever, with the Kings taking to social media on Friday to announce that not only will Kopitar have his jersey retired this season, but the franchise will unveil a statue of No. 11 outside Crypto.com Arena.
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While many expected his jersey to be retired by the Kings, to get a statue and have this all come in his first year after retirement is a surprise to many, but given what he gave to the organization and his loyalty, it’s more than well deserved.
Kopitar Retires as the Kings Greatest Ever Player
Across 20 seasons, Kopitar appeared in 1,521 regular season games for the franchise, tallying 452 goals and 1,316 points in that time, and after landing him at No. 11 overall in 2005, the team were blessed over the past two decades to feature him as the face of the franchise.
In retirement, Kopitar becomes the 8th player to have his jersey retired by the Kings, joining Marcell Dionne (No. 16), Rob Blake (No. 4), Dave Taylor (No. 18), Dustin Brown (No. 23), Luc Robitaille (No. 20), Rogie Vachon (No. 30) and the league wide retirement of the No. 99 for Wayne Gretzky.
Whether or not he’s the G.O.A.T in LA Kings franchise history could be up for debate, but over 20 years, he did everything that he could to best represent the Kings on and off the ice, and given the sustained dominance and the key role he played in the only two Stanley Cups in franchise history, these honors are more than well deserved for a player that has garnered the respect of opposing players and fans league wide over two decades.
Kings Announce two Major Honors for Retired Star Anze Kopitar