Anze -Kopar officially introduces its last season in the NHL.
Flanked by his wife and two children, the captain of Los Angeles Kings announced on Thursday in El Segundo, California that he will retire after this season.
“After last season I had a little time to think in recent months and to talk to the family to see where the path is for me and where it goes, and after a lot of thinking, I decided that this year my last year will be played in the NHL,” Kopitar said. “With a heavy heart, I naturally accepted that decision.
“These guys (wife and children) who have been sitting here with me have been with me in the past and now they deserve a husband and a father to be at home and be present for the moments that will lead, especially for these guys (children). They will soon be teenagers and we all know that that will be a very important time of their lives and I want to be present.”
Kopitar is going into the NHL his 20th season, all with the kings, who selected him no. 11 in the NHL design of 2005. The 38 -year -old center goes to the last season of a two -year contract of $ 14 million (average annual value of $ 7 million) that he signed on July 6, 2023.
The pension announcement comes on the second day of the training camp for Los Angeles.
“I just want to get rid of this now to where I am not a distraction for the team,” said Kopitar. “For example, if we are in a fight, the last thing I want to do is to attract attention from the team and to put it on myself. I just felt that this is the best time.”
A double Stanley Cup champion (2012, 2014), Kopitar was named Kings Captain June 16, 2016 and is the first player from Slovenia in the Skate competition. He and his family will go back to Slovenia as soon as he retires.
“We both come from Slovenia, the children are enthusiastic until every summer to go there, my parents still live there, all our extensive family is there,” Kopitar said. “We will go back a bit, we will breathe deeply and we will see where our lives will bring us afterwards.”
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