Kopitar retires as Kings fall 5-1 to Avalanche in Game 4
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- Anze Kopitar's 20-year NHL career ended Sunday as the Los Angeles Kings lost 5-1 to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, sending Colorado to the second round to face either Dallas or Minnesota.
- Kopitar, 38, retires as the Kings' all-time leader in assists, points, games played, seasons and game-winning goals, a two-time Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's best defensive forward and a three-time Lady Byng recipient.
- The Kings drafted Kopitar 11th overall in 2005 as part of a core with Dustin Brown, Jonathan Quick and Drew Doughty that won Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014 — and have not advanced past the first round since, losing in the first round for five straight seasons with four of those defeats coming against Edmonton.
- Kopitar announced in September this would be his final season, reiterating Sunday that his children — ages 11 and 9 — have had 'a part-time dad' for too long and deserve to have him home full-time.
- Fans chanted 'Kopi! Kopi! Kopi!' during his final shifts and 'Thank you, Kopi!' with 90 seconds remaining, while Kopitar raised his stick and waved to the crowd as players from both teams tapped their sticks in respect, finishing with one shot on goal and 18:30 of ice time.
- Drew Doughty called the departure 'going to be tough' for the organization, telling reporters 'he had an unbelievable career' and skating into the tunnel behind Kopitar after the postgame handshake line.
Why it matters: Kopitar's retirement closes the book on the core — Brown, Kopitar, Quick, Doughty — that delivered the Kings' only Stanley Cups in the modern era, leaving Los Angeles without a championship-era cornerstone for the first time in 20 years. The Kings have now made the playoffs five straight seasons without winning a series, four of those exits coming against Edmonton.
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