Anze Kopitar, the longtime captain of the Los Angeles Kings, announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of the 2025–26 season, bringing to a close a 20-year, Hall of Fame–caliber career.

The 38-year-old center, drafted No. 11 overall by Los Angeles in 2005, has spent his entire career with the Kings. He enters his final season on the last year of a two-year, $14 million contract signed in July 2023.

Kopitar helped lead the Kings to their only Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014. Named captain in 2016, he established himself as one of the NHL’s best two-way forwards, winning the Selke Trophy twice (2016, 2018) and the Lady Byng Trophy three times (2016, 2023, 2025). He also made history as the first Slovenian player to play in the NHL.

Kopitar dominates the Kings’ record book. He is the franchise leader in games played (1,454), assists (838) and game-winning goals (78), while ranking third in goals (440) and second in points (1,278), just 30 shy of Marcel Dionne’s all-time team record. In the postseason, he holds the club record for games played (103) and sits second in both assists (62) and points (89), trailing only Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille.

Among active NHL players, Kopitar ranks fourth in games played, third in assists, fifth in points and eighth in goals. He is also 46 games away from joining the exclusive group of just 22 players who have reached 1,500 regular-season appearances.

Kopitar’s playoff resume features dominant runs during the Kings’ championships. In 2012, he tied Dustin Brown for the postseason lead in goals (8), assists (12), points (20) and plus/minus (+16). In 2014, he led all skaters with 26 points and 21 assists during the team’s second Cup run.

Although Los Angeles has not won a playoff series since 2014, falling in the first round to Edmonton each of the past four years, Kopitar has remained a steady force. He finished last season with 67 points (21 goals, 46 assists) in 81 games, second on the team behind Adrian Kempe, and added 9 points in six playoff appearances. His disciplined play earned him a third Lady Byng Trophy after committing just two minor penalties all year.

Kopitar’s No. 11 is destined to hang in the rafters at Crypto.com Arena alongside franchise icons Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, Marcel Dionne and Dustin Brown. Before that day comes, the Kings’ captain will aim to close his career with one final push toward a third Stanley Cup.