Anze Kopitar bids farewell to legendary career after LA Kings loss

Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar bid farewell to his Hall of Fame-worthy career on Sunday, April 26.

It was a bittersweet ending for the two-time Stanley Cup winner as the Kings fell 5-1 to the Colorado Avalanche at home in Game 4 and were eliminated in a sweep.

But the 20-season veteran got to have his final moments with Kings fans, who shouted "Kopi, Kopi" as time wound down, gave him a standing ovation and also chanted, "Thank you, Kopi."

He was emotional as he received lots of hugs from the Avalanche during his final handshake line. Then he lifted his stick toward the fans and waved goodbye as his teammates tapped their sticks and on-ice officials applauded. Teammate Drew Doughty, also a member of the Kings' Stanley Cup teams, followed him off the ice.

Kopitar had announced during training camp that this would be the final season of his NHL career so he could spend more time with his family. He became the Kings' all-time leading scorer during the season. And with a five-game winning streak in the season's final weeks, Kopitar was guaranteed an 11th trip to the playoffs.

The Kings avoided a fourth consecutive first-round meeting with the Edmonton Oilers. But they had to face the No. 1 overall seeded Avalanche. Colorado completed the sweep on Sunday with goals by Nathan MacKinnon, , , and MacKinnon again. The Avalanche will face the Stars-Minnesota Wild winner in the second round.