LA Kings Set Date for Kopitar Jersey Retirement and Statue Reveal
Former Los Angeles Kings captain and recently retired Anze Kopitar will have his moments to shine this upcoming season. The Kings will hold a special ceremony to retire his #11 jersey and unveil a statue celebrating his time in a Kings jersey.
Kopitar retired after the 2025-26 season, after 20 years with the organization.
The Kings announced that his jersey retirement and special bronze statue will be unveiled at the February 24, 2027, game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Kopitar, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, will participate in the ceremony, thought to represent the organization’s highest individual honor.
Kopitar:
“To have my number retired and a statue unveiled by the LA Kings is an incredible honor, and one that is difficult to put into words.”
Luc Robitaille, LA Kings President:
“Kopitar has defined what it means to be a Los Angeles King for the past two decades.”
Kopitar is the Kings’ all-time leader in games played (1,521), assists (864), and points 1,316).
With this ceremony, he will become the eighth Kings player to have their number retired.
He joins Rogie Vachon (#30), Marcel Dionne (#16), Dave Taylor (#18), Wayne Gretzky (#99), Luc Robitaille (#20), Rob Blake (#4), and Dustin Brown (#23). The Bronze statue of Kopitar will be outside of Crypto.com Arena and will be the fourth statue of a Kings player to sit outside the arena, joining Gretzky, Robitaille, and Brown. Former Los Angeles broadcaster Bob Miller also has a statue outside of the arena.
Kopitar’s accomplishments are nothing to sneeze at, as he is one of the best all-around players in NHL history.
He has 1,316 points (452 goals, 864 assists) in 1,521 games, is a plus +127, he has played in five all-star games, and a two-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner (2015-16, 2017-18), two-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner (2022-23, 2024-25), 21-22 Mark Messier Leadership Award winner, and won two Stanley Cups (2012, 2014).
For the Kings’ record books, he has left quite the impression. He leads all time in points, assists, game-winning goals (78), games played (1,521), playoff games played (107), and points on the road (608). He sits third in goals scored (452), second in plus/ minus (plus +127), third in even-strength goals, and third in power-play goals (129).
There was nothing Kopitar could not do. He was loyal to the organization, to the fans, and to his teammates. He never quit on his teammates even when the game was over. He never quit on the city even when the playoff drought became bigger than the dream itself. He didn’t quit on the fans when they doubted the team’s direction.
He was not just Anze Kopitar. He was not just a center or the captain. He was the Los Angeles Kings. While he absolutely deserves this moment, this moment is small compared to what he actually deserves.
The city, the organization, and the NHL cannot repay him for what he has done for hockey in Los Angeles.
Kopitar is what hockey is all about—Respect. Loyalty. Honor.
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