After reaching the 1200-point plateau, we look at what continues to make Anze Kopitar a seismic force for the LA Kings.
Entering Wednesday’s contest, the focus for the LA Kings was winning. That was especially the case against a team as hot as the Minnesota Wild. But there was more at stake on Wednesday. That came in the form of a major plateau for a very special player.
In what has already shaped up to be a Hall-of-Fame career, Anze Kopitar had his sights on the 1200-point plateau. He was just one shy of the mark entering Wednesday night’s tilt. In fact, the 36-year-old registered three points (2G, 1A) the previous evening to pull himself within one. Then, with the Kings already up 1-0, Kopitar set up Kevin Fiala on the power play at the 15:03 mark of the first period to clinch it.
The LA Kings faithful was ecstatic as the longtime King reached 1200 points. In the process, the Slovenian star became just the fourth non-North American skater to record 1200 points with one team. He joined some exclusive company in the late, great Hall-of-Famer Stan Mikita and future Hall-of-Famers, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin.
For 18 seasons, Anze Kopitar and the LA Kings have been synonymous with each other. Regardless if he wore a letter on his jersey or not, Kopitar has long been established as a bona fide leader.
A winner of two Selkes, two Lady Byngs, and, of course, two Stanley Cups, Anze Kopitar has been integral in bring the long-struggling Kings franchise to unprecedented heights. That is something no fan has taken for granted and no fan will leave unappreciated.
So, while we may be seeing more of his age come through on the ice, the great No. 11 continues to impress us with his timely takeaways, set-ups, and tallies. He even did so on Wednesday, scoring a beautiful one-timer for his 1201st point. Unfortunately, Kopitar’s evening ended inauspiciously as he was one of many to receive a 10-minute misconduct. Thankfully, the Kings’ convincing 6-0 win over the Wild helped overshadow that.
While a guest on the NHL on TNT’s Post Game, Kopitar reminisced about his only other misconduct, which came during the 2008-09 season.
“Actually, I have. Actually [in Los Angeles],” remembered the 36-year-old. “It was year three. I hadn’t scored in a while and we had a sh*tty power play. So, I came to the bench, I smashed my stick against the glass and the glass shattered. So, the ref gave me a 10-minute misconduct.”
With his mother and grandmother in attendance, Anze Kopitar did on Wednesday night what he does best: carry the LA Kings to victory. We’ve witnessed it for nearly two decades and love it each and every time.
And those are just a few of the 1200 reasons to love Anze Kopitar.
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