Los Angeles sports fans are facing a double dose of heartbreak this September as two of their biggest stars prepare to say goodbye.
Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers’ pitching legend, is gearing up for his final regular season start before hanging up his cleats. But that’s not all – the LA Kings just got some equally tough news.
Anze Kopitar, the Kings’ heart and soul for nearly two decades, announced that the 2025-26 season will be his last.
It’s hard to overstate what Kopitar has meant to LA hockey. He’s spent all 19 of his NHL seasons with the Kings, and number 20 will be his farewell tour.
His biggest moment? Probably the magical 2012 playoff run. The Kings squeaked into the playoffs as the eighth seed, but Kopitar helped turn them into champions. He put up 8 goals and racked up 20 points during that historic push to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
The numbers tell the story of his incredible career. Kopitar has piled up 440 goals and 1,278 points – putting him in elite company. Only a handful of players in NHL history have crossed the 1,200-point mark.
For LA sports fans, it’s the end of an era. They’ll get one more season to watch Kopitar work his magic on the ice, but the countdown to goodbye has officially begun.
Think you know your hockey history? Try naming all the NHL players who’ve scored 1,200 or more career points. You’ve got seven minutes – good luck!
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