LOS ANGELES — One thousand, three hundred and seventy three. Nineteen.
Those numbers differ greatly in size, but both help define Kings captain/center Anze Kopitar. At least to start this NHL campaign..
A very long road trip was just on the Kings calendar. The ‘24-25 campaign began in Buffalo, where Kopitar kicked-off his 19th NHL season (a franchise record) on a mission much larger than simply adding to those 1,373 regular season games played (also a franchise record).
On a mission, the 37-year-old Kopitar is looking to help get the Kings over a hurdle with the help of a young core on the rise, and a group of veterans who compliment teammates of all ages.
This past summer the Kings celebrated the 10th anniversary of the franchise’s second Stanley Cup Championship. It was also in 2014 the Kings won their last playoff series. After three consecutive first-round postseason losses to Edmonton, Kopitar expects better here and now.
And the year is off to a good start. Kopitar netted a hat trick in the club’s season opener – his 1,374th contest – at Buffalo earlier this month. And he celebrated a win in the home opener this past Thursday night in Downtown Los Angeles.
The next day he answered these questions from The Sporting Tribune.
TST: We are very, very early, but how good do you feel about your start to the season, which has been highlighted by your seventh career hat trick?
Kopitar: That was obviously a very good start to the season. A good individual start for me as well. It is so early. So time will tell. Most importantly we feel good about our group.
TST: Training camp was highlighted by a trip to Quebec City before seven consecutive regular season games away from Crypto.com Arena. Did the team accomplish its goals during that time?
Kopitar: I think so. Being on the road early on you get to bond well with your team, with new guys. This season we got to be around the guys there a lot earlier than we would normally have during training camp at home. I think it benefits us and it shows with the good early start.
TST: Of course training camp came at a significant cost with the loss of Drew Doughty to injury. How did you react to the news that he will be out several months?
Kopitar: Obviously Drew is one guy who is irreplaceable I would say. I think it falls on everyone to pull a little extra weight to try and fill that void as best we can for the foreseeable future. We are going to miss him, (but) we can’t look at it that way. We have to look ahead, play our game, and be in a good spot for when he does come back.
TST: Can you talk about some of the newcomers to the hockey team and how they fit in?
Kopitar: I like how they fit in. I think everyone has fit in very well. We obviously got some defensemen, and some grit up front which is something that maybe we were lacking. Everyone feels pretty comfortable with where we are and how they slot in. (I am) happy with the additions.
TST: One newcomer you are very familiar with was goalie Darcy Kuemper, a former King netminder. How do you think he helps this team?
Kopitar: Darcy has been here before, so knows the town, he knows the fan base. Since he left us we won a Stanley Cup (with Colorado) which obviously gave him a ton more experience. He is going to help us for sure. Obviously he is a good goalie who we are happy to have.
TST: Year No. 19 for you. Do you feel it a little more than, say, even a few years ago?
Kopitar: It is Year 19 and I am not getting any younger. Yeah, I do feel it a little but I still feel pretty good about where I can compete and play my game to help the team.
TST: The playoffs are never a certainty. But what if we fast-forward and the first round opponent is Edmonton. Again. How would you guys feel about that?
Kopitar: We are sick of going out in the first round. So even if it is Edmonton, it is about getting past it.
For more than 20 years, Jeff Moeller has been a voice in the Southern California pro sports community. He now contributes to The Sporting Tribune on a semi-regular basis. A huge hockey fan, he has never seen the movie Slap Shot.
