For Anze Kopitar, he\u2019s spent the summer of 2025 reflecting. And after months of doing so, he came away with two key takeaways.<\/p>\n
The 2025-26 season will be his last in the NHL and he\u2019s damn sure ready to make it an exceptional and memorable one. <\/p>\n
In a press conference today at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo, Kopitar addressed a large group, with his wife Ines and his children, Jakob and Neza, alongside him. Following the first day of training camp, Kopitar confirmed that the coming season will be his final year in the NHL. The King of Kings, for one last ride.<\/p>\n
As for the why, Kopitar admitted it\u2019s with a \u201cheavy heart\u201d that he made the decision he did. At the forefront of it is his family, who he believes \u201cdeserve a husband and a dad to be home and present for the moments that are coming up for these guys\u201d, signaling to his kids. With his family getting older, he wants to be there for all of the big moments, as most fathers would. And that\u2019s important. <\/p>\n
He\u2019s also 38 years old and at his age, there\u2019s a lot more work that goes into getting ready to play at the highest level than when he was 28. <\/p>\n
\u201cI knew I\u2019d have to give it my all this summer to prepare for this season and that\u2019s what I\u2019m focused on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a lot to commit to beyond this year, especially when trying to be the best dad that he can in the process.<\/p>\n
As for the why now?<\/p>\n
Well, there\u2019s a bunch of different ways to do it. Dustin Brown \u2013 who Kopitar called to talk with during his process \u2013 waited until the afternoon of Game 82 of his final regular season to make the announcement. With Brown, though, there was far less speculation going into the season about it being his last in the NHL. With Kopitar, those questions have been asked seemingly for two years running now, when he first hinted at a potential retirement after signing his most recent contract, a two-year deal. <\/p>\n
Heading into a season he is very excited for, Kopitar didn\u2019t want his own personal future to be a distraction to a team he believes in. A team he feels has what it takes to find success in the playoffs. <\/p>\n
\u201cI just felt that I want to get this out of the way now, to where I\u2019m not a distraction for the team,\u201d Kopitar said. \u201cFor example, if we\u2019re in a fight coming down the stretch, the last thing I want to do is take any attention away from the team and put it on myself. I just felt this was the best time.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s something he had already spoken with his teammates about. Not in a \u201cstand up in front of the room\u201d kind of way, but he\u2019s talked with players individually to let them know what was coming. There were rumblings out there and he wanted to make sure that people knew. He also spoke to Brown, who he called his \u201cvoice of reason\u201d in helping him to solidify his decision. <\/p>\n
Kopitar said he talked with most of his teammates individually before this press conference.<\/p>\n
Also said he talked with Dustin Brown in his process. https:\/\/t.co\/rBtKrjHnzK<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) September 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Now, it\u2019s about the season ahead. It\u2019s something that Kopitar referenced in one way or another in just about every answer he gave. He was more than open in talking about the why and the why now. But he didn\u2019t want to lose sight of making the 2025-26 season one that sends him out the only way he wants to go out. <\/p>\n And that\u2019s with success at the end of it.<\/p>\n \u201cI am looking extremely forward to this next season,\u201d he said. \u201cI still have a lot of motivation, I\u2019ve got a lot of energy, a lot of desire to compete at the very highest level. The moves that we\u2019ve made, the moves that Ken made this year, I think we\u2019re a better team than we were last year and I just cannot wait to get going. Today was a great first day on the ice and I cannot wait for October 7 to roll around and go from there. Obviously, the ultimate goal for me and the team is to be playing hockey in June and hopefully come out of the season on the very top.\u201d<\/p>\n For Kopitar, he hasn\u2019t really reminisced. He hasn\u2019t thought too much ahead about what\u2019s to come. Yeah, he and his family are planning to move back to Slovenia after the season and re-establish their lives there. But he\u2019s not thinking about what he\u2019s accomplished with the Kings and man is that a lot. <\/p>\n Kopitar sits 30 points shy of the all-time lead in points in Kings history, which would add to what feels like an endless number of other franchise records. He\u2019s on track to hit 1,500 games played this season in the NHL, all with Los Angeles. He\u2019s a two-time champion and a future member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Without stepping on the ice again, Kopitar would go out as the most impactful player in LA Kings history. But step he did anyways today, for his final first day of NHL training camp, because he\u2019s not done yet. He\u2019s still got goals to achieve.<\/p>\n \u201cI think everybody that has played with me \u2013 or at least the majority \u2013 would tell you that there\u2019s one goal that I\u2019m trying to achieve and we\u2019re trying to achieve as a team and that\u2019s winning. The highs of winning surpass every highs of your individual stats and individual number, so that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to try and do this year.\u201d<\/p>\n That, now, is Kopitar\u2019s focus.<\/p>\n Never one to want the attention for himself, Kopitar isn\u2019t necessarily interested in a farewell tour but he understands that might come in some ways and he\u2019s ready to handle that. He also joked that Clayton Kershaw announcing his own pending retirement was \u201cperfect for him, so I can fly under the radar.\u201d For a player of his stature, importance and respect, there will be so many around the NHL who will want to pay tribute and he understands and accepts that it\u2019ll come.<\/p>\n But at the end of the day, he\u2019s got 82 regular-season games left to qualify for one last run at the ultimate goal. Kopitar\u2019s name is forever engraved on the Stanley Cup twice. 2012 and 2014 were the highlights of his career for him. One more go at seeing it on there again, adding another set of memorable moments to one of the most memorable careers in NHL history. <\/p>\n \u201cA lot of great memories, but there\u2019s still memories to be made.\u201d<\/p>\n Kinda ready to run through a wall for Anze Kopitar seeing how fired up he is for this season. <\/p>\n “I still have a lot of motivation, I\u2019ve got a lot of energy, a lot of desire to compete at the very highest level.” https:\/\/t.co\/FHWI7FBwIb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) September 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n