Personal life

Kopitar was born in Jesenice, Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia) to Matjaž and Mateja Kopitar. Matjaž played hockey for HK Acroni Jesenice in the Yugoslav and later Slovenian championship in the 1980s and 1990s, and competed in three World Championships (in the B and C pools; lower levels) for both Yugoslavia and Slovenia in the early 1990s. He also coached HK Acroni Jesenice of the Austrian Hockey League in the 2006-07 season and has been the head coach of the Slovenia national ice hockey team since 2010. Mateja worked at the family restaurant, Gostišče Kopitar, in Hrušica, a village about five kilometres from Jesenice.

When Kopitar was four, his father first taught him how to skate; Matjaž built an ice rink in their backyard in Hrušica, and Kopitar would go out there whenever he could. Kopitar has a brother, Gašper, who is five years younger. Gašper also plays hockey; when the Kopitar family moved to Los Angeles, Gašper joined a junior team sponsored by the Kings. He then played for the Portland Winterhawks of the major junior Western Hockey League (WHL) and the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League (USHL), before turning professional with Mora IK in Sweden. His favorite player growing up was Sergei Fedorov. Kopitar's grandmother taught English at a local high school, and both Kopitar and his brother learned to speak English from her. Kopitar speaks five languages: Slovene, Serbian, German, Swedish, and English. He enjoys playing football and is a declared supporter of Slovenian football club NK Maribor.

Until he moved to Sweden, Kopitar lived with his parents, while he lived alone in an apartment in Sweden. After his first season in the NHL, the rest of Kopitar's family joined him in Los Angeles, first living in a house in Hermosa Beach, before moving to Manhattan Beach. At the 2005 IIHF World U18 Championship Division I, held in Maribor, Slovenia, Kopitar met Ines Dominc; they married in July 2013. Their first child, a daughter named Neža, was born on March 14, 2015.

Playing career

European career

In 2002, Kopitar began playing for the youth team of his hometown, HK Acroni Jesenice. He split the year between the team's under-18 and junior club's, and also appeared in 11 games for the senior team HK Kranjska Gora of the Slovenian Ice Hockey League. Kopitar had four goals and four assists (eight points) in the senior league, and recorded 76 points in 14 games for the Jesenice under-18 team and 27 points in 20 games for the junior club. He led the Slovenian Ice Hockey League in scoring at the age of 16, and Swedish scout Lars Söder recruited Kopitar for the Elitserien in 2004. (Söder had originally discovered Kopitar when he was 13 at a European Youth Olympic Festival.)

The Slovenian Ice Hockey League did not have a high enough skill level, so Kopitar decided that if he wanted to improve his career prospects, he would have to leave the country. He was offered a chance to play in Sweden for Södertälje SK, eventually joining their junior team where he led the League in scoring, with 49 points (28 goals, 21 assists) in 30 games. Prior to the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Kopitar was ranked the top European skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. After his first season in Sweden, he was chosen 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2005 Draft. Unlike most top-ranked prospects, Kopitar was not at the draft, but in Sweden playing in preseason games. Some members of the team had a party for the draft, including Niclas Bergfors, who was selected 23rd overall by the New Jersey Devils. Prior to the NHL Draft, Kopitar was also selected in the CHL Import Draft by the Regina Pats of the WHL. He declined to move to North America, however, hoping to further his development by continuing to play against professionals in the Elitserien, rather than the major junior players in the WHL.

Los Angeles Kings

Kopitar signed an entry-level contract with the Kings on 7 September 2005, but returned to play in Sweden for another season. The following year, in 2006, he accepted an invitation to Los Angeles' rookie camp. He then made his NHL debut on 6 October 2006, against the Anaheim Ducks and scored two goals in the game. In January 2007, he was named to the NHL YoungStars Game, an event included at the All-Star Game festivities; Kopitar recorded two goals and three assists in the Game. Kopitar completed his first NHL season third among rookies in scoring, behind Evgeni Malkin and Paul Stastny, with 20 goals and 41 assists for 61 points. It marked the fifth-highest point total by a Kings rookie, and the highest since Luc Robitaille in 1986-87. He finished fourth in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. Kopitar was awarded the Mark Bavis Memorial Award as the best first-year member of the Kings and was also named the Kings' Most Popular Player.

The following season, 2007-08, Kopitar was selected to represent the Western Conference at the 56th NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta, his first appearance in the Game. He was the youngest player in the Game, nearly two years younger than the second-youngest player, Paul Stastny. Kopitar finished the regular season with 32 goals and 45 assists for 77 points; he led the Kings in assists and points and was second in goals. Kopitar was also named the winner of the Bill Libby Memorial Award as the most valuable player on the Kings, as well as received an award for leading the team in scoring.

Early in the 2008-09 season, on October 11, 2008, Kopitar signed a seven-year contract extension with the Kings worth $47.6 million. The contract would keep Kopitar with the team until the conclusion of the 2015-16 season. He finished the season with 66 points in 82 games, leading the Kings in both assists and points, while again finishing second in goals scored. The following season saw Kopitar score his first career NHL hat-trick, on October 22, 2009 against the Dallas Stars. He finished the 2009-10 season with a career-high 34 goals and 81 points. For the second time in his career, Kopitar won the Bill Libby Memorial Award as the Kings' most valuable player, and led the team in scoring for the third-straight year. Kopitar made his Stanley Cup playoff debut that season, as the Kings qualified for the post-season for the first time since 2002. The Kings, however, lost in the Western Conference Quarterfinals to the Vancouver Canucks, and Kopitar finished tied for third on the team with five points in six games.

The 2010-11 season saw Kopitar play in his 325th consecutive NHL game, which set a new Kings team record, passing Marcel Dionne on March 15, 2011. However eleven days later, Kopitar's season and ironman streak came to an abrupt end at 330 games after he suffered a broken ankle. Despite the injury setback, Kopitar led the team in scoring for the fourth-straight season, amassing 73 points, and was named the team MVP for the second time. In the 2011-12 season, Kopitar led the Kings in scoring with 76 points, including a career-best 51 assists. The Kings won the Stanley Cup as playoff champions, their first title in team history. Kopitar finished tied with Kings captain Dustin Brown to lead the team in playoff scoring, with each having 20 points from 20 games played. Kopitar became the first Slovenian-born player to win the Stanley Cup.

The 2012-13 NHL season was delayed due to the 2012-13 NHL lockout, so Kopitar joined his younger brother Gašper on Mora IK of the Swedish second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan, signing a contract with the team for the 2012-13 season. He played 31 games for Mora, scoring 34 points, before he NHL lockout ended in January 2013. A shortened, 48-game NHL season commenced, Kopitar recorded 42 points in 47 games to once again lead the Kings in scoring, and was named the team's best defensive player.

The 2013-14 season saw Kopitar lead the team in scoring for the seventh-consecutive season, with 70 points, and was named both the teams MVP and best defensive player. He also was a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as best defensive player in the NHL, the first time he was nominated for the award. In the playoffs Kopitar led the entire league in scoring, recording 26 points in 26 games, as the team won their second Stanley Cup championship. The following season had Kopitar tie Marcel Dionne as the only player in Kings history to lead the team in scoring eight times, having scored 16 goals and 48 assists for 64 points. Kopitar also received another nomination as a finalist for the Selke Trophy, and was named a finalist for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship.

During the 2015-16 season Kopitar signed an eight-year contract extension with the Kings. It would pay him an average of $10 million per season until the end of the 2023-24 season. He finished the season with 74 points, setting a team record by leading the Kings in scoring for a ninth consecutive season; he also was named a finalist for both the Selke and Lady Byng Trophies.

International play

Kopitar first played in an international tournament when he participated in the Division I (second level) tournament of the 2003 IIHF World U18 Championships for the Slovenian national junior team. He appeared in five games and recorded three points. The following year he appeared in the 2004 tournament and the 2004 World Junior Championships. Slovenia appeared in the Division I level at both tournaments. Kopitar scored si goals and eight points in five games during the under-18 tournament and finished second overall for goals scored and third for points, leading Slovenia in both categores; he had one goal and one assist in five games at the World Juniors.

In 2005 Kopitar appeared in three international tournaments for Slovenia; he took part in the World Juniors, U18 Championship and the World Championship. Both junior tournaments were at the Division I level, while the senior championship was at the top level. At the 2006 World Championship he played for Slovenia at the top level and recorded three goals and nine points in six games and was tied for fifth among scoring leaders.

Slovenia qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi; as the qualifying games were held during the NHL season Kopitar was unable to participate, though his father Matjaž coached the team and Gašper played in the matches. Though Gašper was part of the team that secured qualification for Slovenia, he was not named to the Olympic roster. Kopitar helped Slovenia reach the quarterfinals of the tournament by scoring two goals and one assist.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2002-03	HK Acroni Jesenice U18	Slov-U18		14	38	38	76	10		—	—	—	—	—
2002-03	HK Acroni Jesenice Jr	Slov-Jr		20	15	12	27	8		—	—	—	—	—
2002-03	HK Kranjska Gora	Slov		11	4	4	8	4		—	—	—	—	—
2003-04	HK Acroni Jesenice Jr.	Slov-Jr		25	32	28	60	16		—	—	—	—	—
2003-04	HK Kranjska Gora	Slov		21	14	11	25	10		4	1	1	2	0
2004-05	Södertälje SK U18	Swe-U18		1	1	2	3	0		1	0	0	0	2
2004-05	Södertälje SK	J20		30	28	21	49	26		2	1	1	2	0
2004-05	Södertälje SK	SEL		5	0	0	0	0		10	0	0	0	0
2005-06	Södertälje SK	SEL		47	8	12	20	28		—	—	—	—	—
2006-07	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		72	20	41	61	24		—	—	—	—	—
2007-08	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		82	32	45	77	22		—	—	—	—	—
2008-09	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		82	27	39	66	32		—	—	—	—	—
2009-10	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		82	34	47	81	16		6	2	3	5	2
2010-11	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		75	25	48	73	20		—	—	—	—	—
2011-12	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		82	25	51	76	20		20	8	12	20	9
2012-13	Mora IK	Swe.1		31	10	24	34	14		—	—	—	—	—
2012-13	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		47	10	32	42	16		18	3	6	9	12
2013-14	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		82	29	41	70	24		26	5	21	26	14
2014-15	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		79	16	48	64	10		—	—	—	—	—
2015-16	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		81	25	49	74	16		5	2	2	4	2
NHL totals				764	243	441	684	200		75	20	44	64	39

International

Year	Team	Comp		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2003	Slovenia	U18		5	2	1	3	0
2004	Slovenia	WJC		5	1	1	2	0
2004	Slovenia	U18		5	6	2	8	0
2005	Slovenia	WJC		5	10	3	13	6
2005	Slovenia	U18		5	6	5	11	14
2005	Slovenia	OGQ		3	1	1	2	2
2005	Slovenia	WC		6	1	0	1	2
2006	Slovenia	WJC		5	5	1	6	4
2006	Slovenia	WC		6	3	6	9	2
2007	Slovenia	WC		5	1	13	14	2
2008	Slovenia	WC		5	3	1	4	2
2014	Slovenia	OG		5	2	1	3	4
2015	Slovenia	WC		7	1	3	4	0
Junior totals				30	30	13	43	24
Senior totals				37	12	25	37	14

All-Star Games

Year	Location		G	A	Pts
2008	Atlanta		0	0	0
2011	Carolina		2	0	2
2015	Columbus		0	0	0
All-Star Game totals			2	0	2

Awards and honours

NHL

Award	Year(s)
Stanley Cup champion	2012, 2014
NHL All-Star	2008, 2011, 2015

Nominations

Award	Year(s) nominated
Frank J. Selke Trophy	2014, 2015, 2016
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy	2015, 2016

Los Angeles Kings team awards

Award	Year
Bill Libby Memorial Award	2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016
Leading Scorer Award	2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Mark Bavis Memorial Award	2007
Most Popular Player	2007, 2011
Best Defensive Player	2011, 2013, 2014, 2015

[ Source: Wikipedia ]