Anze Kopitar’s 2-decade career with the Los Angeles Kings ends in cheers and tears with playoff loss

Anze Kopitar

LOS ANGELES — 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 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.”