2025-26 will be Anze Kopitar’s last in the NHL and he couldn’t be more ready to make it a memorable one

For Anze Kopitar, he’s spent the summer of 2025 reflecting. And after months of doing so, he came away with two key takeaways.

The 2025-26 season will be his last in the NHL and he’s damn sure ready to make it an exceptional and memorable one.

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.

As for the why, Kopitar admitted it’s with a “heavy heart” that he made the decision he did. At the forefront of it is his family, who he believes “deserve a husband and a dad to be home and present for the moments that are coming up for these guys”, 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’s important.

He’s also 38 years old and at his age, there’s a lot more work that goes into getting ready to play at the highest level than when he was 28.

“I knew I’d have to give it my all this summer to prepare for this season and that’s what I’m focused on,” he said.

That’s a lot to commit to beyond this year, especially when trying to be the best dad that he can in the process.

As for the why now?

Well, there’s a bunch of different ways to do it. Dustin Brown – who Kopitar called to talk with during his process – 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.

Heading into a season he is very excited for, Kopitar didn’t 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.

“I just felt that I want to get this out of the way now, to where I’m not a distraction for the team,” Kopitar said. “For example, if we’re 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.”

It’s something he had already spoken with his teammates about. Not in a “stand up in front of the room” kind of way, but he’s 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 “voice of reason” in helping him to solidify his decision.

Now, it’s about the season ahead. It’s 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’t want to lose sight of making the 2025-26 season one that sends him out the only way he wants to go out.

And that’s with success at the end of it.

“I am looking extremely forward to this next season,” he said. “I still have a lot of motivation, I’ve got a lot of energy, a lot of desire to compete at the very highest level. The moves that we’ve made, the moves that Ken made this year, I think we’re 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.”

For Kopitar, he hasn’t really reminisced. He hasn’t thought too much ahead about what’s 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’s not thinking about what he’s accomplished with the Kings and man is that a lot.

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’s on track to hit 1,500 games played this season in the NHL, all with Los Angeles. He’s 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’s not done yet. He’s still got goals to achieve.

“I think everybody that has played with me – or at least the majority – would tell you that there’s one goal that I’m trying to achieve and we’re trying to achieve as a team and that’s winning. The highs of winning surpass every highs of your individual stats and individual number, so that’s what we’re going to try and do this year.”

That, now, is Kopitar’s focus.

Never one to want the attention for himself, Kopitar isn’t necessarily interested in a farewell tour but he understands that might come in some ways and he’s ready to handle that. He also joked that Clayton Kershaw announcing his own pending retirement was “perfect for him, so I can fly under the radar.” 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’ll come.

But at the end of the day, he’s got 82 regular-season games left to qualify for one last run at the ultimate goal. Kopitar’s 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.

“A lot of great memories, but there’s still memories to be made.”