Preparing for Anže Kopitar's Final NHL Season 😭

Preparing for Anže Kopitar’s Final NHL Season 😭 | LA Kings

up the wall. Kusmano pokes it out to center and the Knights back to get it. Turned it over. In comes Bfield on a break. Bfield back hand. He scores. Quinton Bfield is great. 32 teams are starting today. Everybody’s trying to get to the summit to Mount Everest. What’s in the top of Mount Everest? It’s the Stanley Cup. Start from scratch. You got to prove yourself all over again. Turns and leaves it. Left circle back to one timer. He scores. He’s got a break. Short-handed more. He scores. [Applause] What I learned through the years is you win in the regular season to learn to win in the playoffs. I want to win the Stanley Cup. You guys want to win the Stanley Cup. You guys are a lot closer than you think. I was on the other side. It It wasn’t quite so easy. You guys were in a position, but now you got to put the throttle down. And the throttle starts tomorrow and the day after. And it starts in October and November and December. And when we get to the playoffs, we’re going to be rolling. [Applause] [Music] Welcome back to All the Kings Men. I’m joined today by defenseman Brandt Clark, number 92 on the ice, number one in your hearts. How you doing, Brandt Clark? I’m doing well. Doing well. Thanks for having me. The coach and general manager have changed in your tenure with the club. Some things will hang over, but other things will just be totally different. I mean, what percentage of stuff is the same under the new, you know, new management? I’d say like the mentality is still the same. I think there’s been different talks and I think uh Ken’s kind of broken down more like in a way like when we did our opening meeting like he was breaking down all sorts of like what we have to accomplish this year, what we’re doing that. So in terms of that it was he was uh that was a little different but in terms of just our mentality I think we just have such a good leadership core that the preparation and the willingness to want to win and you know we have the leaders like Drew and Kopi that have done it before. So I think that’s kind of where where that comes from. We want to all elevate ourselves to that level. I want to throw a shout out to Drew Dowy. Uh big summer coming off that ankle surgery last year. I watched you in the World Cup there. You and I talked. You’ve dug in big time and you’re ready to rock and roll. The weights down and so thrilled. Great great leadership by uh by Drew. Uh 59 guys in camp here. I think there’s 27 to 29 guys that think they can play in the National Hockey League and are competing for NHL jobs. You got a chance to be an NHL player. So, over the next seven preeason games, we’re going to try to give as many of you a chance to show us what you can do as possible. Make us have a tough decision on October the 5th when we got to submit the roster. And if you’re not on the opening day roster, you want to send a message to Jim Hiller and the coaching staff and myself that you’re right there. Uh, a lot of times you might not make the team out of camp, but there’s an injury October, November, you get in and and and you don’t you don’t look back. So, the next seven games are an opportunity for lots of you to get ready for opening night and some of you to earn a spot on the team. I think Ken did a great job. Obviously, brought in size and more importantly, experience. Brought guys that that won or have been, you know, to the dance. So, I think the team is making progress and taking steps in the right direction. So, we’re all very excited for the season. I don’t see the guys a lot during the summer. Maybe at a wedding or something you’ll see them, but most guys go, you know, to their home hometowns and everyone’s all over the place. So, the first weeks when guys start coming back and we start seeing each other at the rink every day, it’s an exciting time. The start of the season is very exciting. Yeah, camp’s long and tough, but we can’t wait for the season to start. And we believe we have a really good team this year, and we can’t wait to show it. [Music] Well, it’s exciting because, you know, kind of like the summer’s over, but then once camp rolls around, you know, you’re you’re excited maybe for the first week, but then you want to get going, you know, with the real stuff. It’s good for the team obviously to be together to get the chemistry going, get the timing back on the ice and and all that stuff. But everybody will tell you that once the camp’s done, the fun starts. So, you know, we’re just about there and it’ll be fun to play meaningful games again. [Music] Was really dedicated this off season getting my ankle better and I’m just moving so much better and I have the confidence to move better uh both offensively and defensively. So, you know, my skills and my brain are still the same as they were last year, but now that I can move with it, um I’m expecting to have a breakout year. Checked at the line by Dowy. Shovel ahead for Fiawa. Drops it. Bogle. Fia shoots and he scores into the top corner. Fia swings it right side. Burroughs turns. Shoots. Tip. Score. Jeff Bot goes in backto back game. Verier into the right corner. Drops it in front and they score at the back post. Tucked in by Fia on a fantastic feed from Alex Leferier. Who’s has got to be the best at this? Oh, yeah. Yes. Yes. Oh, wow. Where’d you get that? I’m not 100% get that on the back. Do you want me to get it on the back? Yeah. Oh, wow. That’s sick. I sure is indeed. That’s 20 years old. Oh, yeah. Not very many floating around like this. Wow. That was my jersey from my first World Championships in in Austria, which was in ’05. Yeah, seems like a eternity ago. That was the only time I wore number 25. So, yeah, that’s it. Hey, buddy. What’s up? How about some offensive tips for the for this young man? Oh, you you shoot the puck. Shoot the puck as much as you can. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too, bud. my back. It’s kind of crazy cuz I’m I’m hearing stories from 15 20 years ago and then I’m hearing stories how how I met younger fans last year. So, it’s uh it’s a great variety obviously and uh you know it just shows that the fan base that we have very passionate and you know we’re going to try and win a cup for them. Buried all right. I’m probably right somewhere in there. Uh, I just retired this year and I just have to tell you it’s highly recommended. All right. Good. Good to know. All right. Thank you. I love the game of hockey, but it all comes at a price, right? So, just about midway through the summer, I I think I was pretty convinced that this was the right decision. Hi. Hi, Paige. Hello. How are you? Are you good? Okay. How was school today? Good. Good. Yeah, it’s amazing. It was amazing. All right. Hi, Kenny. The hair looks so Hi, Kenny. What’s that? Is that a unicorn? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. All right. She looks so I’ve always tried to live in the present and, you know, meaning now I’m focused on on this season and, you know, get off to a good start and and see where where the season takes us. H how or where how are we going to get here? Well, usually through the doors. outside. Do you like walk outside? No, it’s inside. [Music] Thank you everybody for coming. Um, I guess there’s uh I guess a pretty big news broke the in the city where uh Kershaw retired. So, thank you for coming here. Um, but yeah, I’m just going to get started. uh you know after the last season I’ve uh had a bit of bit of time over the last few months to to think and uh you know to talk with the family uh to see where where the path is for me and where it’s going and uh you know after lots and lots of thinking I’ve I’ve decided that uh this year is going to be my uh my last year playing in the NHL. So um you know it’s with the heavy heart obviously uh accepted that decision but uh these guys uh who are sitting here with me have uh have been with me for for the past 20 plus years and uh you know now they deserve a husband and a dad to to be home and present for uh you know the moments that are uh going to be leading up for especially for these guys. you know, I guess in a simple way to put it is I I want to get this out of the way now to where I’m not a distraction for for the team. Um, you know, for example, if we’re in a fight coming down the stretch, the last thing I want to do is take attention away from the team and and put it on myself. So, I just felt this is this is the best time. Uh, but in saying that, um, I am looking extremely forward to to this next season. Um, I still have a lot of motivation. Uh, I got a lot of energy, a lot of desire to compete at at the very highest level. And, um, the moves that we’ve made, uh, you know, the moves that Ken made this year, I think we’re a better team than we were, uh, last year. Um, and I just cannot wait to get going. Right now, I I feel good. I’m sure once the day rolls around, the opening day, I’ll get some butterflies, a little bit of nervousness for sure. But that just tells me that I’m still excited to to play hockey and uh you know, I’m excited to be here. I’m excited about the team. And that’s a good thing when you get butterflies means you still care and you still want to do it. It’s exciting. I think there’s been a juice around our team all all camp just to get this going. And we had such a good uh tight-knit group last year and the communication was so good and everyone like it kind of just built over the season and I think over the summer even bringing in new guys. We’re still like at that like high point of like we’re jelling all really well together and we’re communicating and everything’s kind of seamless is big for us and I think it’s going to help us right out of the gates. [Applause] It hasn’t hit me quite yet the opening night which will be the last opening night of my career. I think it just kind of hits you on the spot. You don’t really think about it too much, but leading up to it, you you think about it a little bit, but it doesn’t really hit you until it’s like the actual moment. So, you know, on Tuesday skating out on the ice when they introduce the team that I think that’s where it’s going to hit me, you know, so it’ll be special, but I’m going to have fun with it. You know, being copies last season, we’re all driven to get it done. And I don’t want to have the young guy cop out answer. Like I know I want to be like, “No, I’m I’m here to make plays. I’m here to shut down guys. I’m I feel stronger. I’ve felt stronger throughout camp. I felt stronger throughout preseason games. I’m ready to be a key contributor on a team that, you know, takes that step this year. [Music] Never in my wildest dreams did I really think I was going to stick in the NHL for 20 years and stick with the one team. I mean, more importantly than anything else, winning a couple Stanley Cups, you know, it’s just a surreal ride. And it’s actually hard to put it in words right now. I think that’s going to be more accurate when when it’s all said and done and you can, you know, relax and kick back and and reflect on all of that as a whole really how it happened. [Music] FIA back to Kempe. Fia shot scora. [Music] I mean it’s it’s the first game honestly in the first period it feels like everything is happening so fast. Um like even for myself been playing so long. I’m a calm you know poised player and I things were happening so fast. This the adrenaline’s going. Both teams are flying around. The the first period’s hard to play in for either team. So, I’m sure we’ll watch a few things to see the things we were doing wrong, but we’ll put this one behind us and focus on tomorrow. Well, we all know it’s a long season. The great part about it’s an emotional season for us. You want to win every single game. We’re in it for the long haul. We’ve got to play better than we did. And here we are. It’s going to be an electric building tonight. We should be up for this one. And for the LA Kings making his regular season LA debut, it’s Anton Forsber. Game two of this brand new season is underway here in Sin City. Drops it back. Kusme right circle shoots. He scores. Andre Kouseno with a laser. Pushed up the wall. Kuseno pokes it out to center and the Knight’s back to get it. Turn it over. In comes Bfield on a break. Bfield backhand. He scores. And it’s two nothing LA. Now Gorilla left to right the offensive zone. He shoots and scores. Down the middle comes Jeff Malot. Weaves his way in. Hands it to Turkot. Right wing. Drops back. Armia. Shoots. Scores. Tipped in front. On the way through. Malot on the doorstep. It’s his first NHL goal. Swing in front of the Knights bench. Skates up top. He’ll curl it in. Centering pass. They score to the left. Eel plays it down and deep. Back in front. They score. A hattick. Dors front. They score. Eel. A one-time at the left circle. Carter to the middle. A chance curled right circle back in front. They score. Tic-tac-toe. Barbash near post. This is what the game’s all about. This is what it’s all about. So, let’s do this for each other all year. Let’s just do a little more for each other all year so we can get as many of these mother as we can. He’s got a break. Short-handed more. He scores. [Applause] Michael tipped. They score. Frank Clark crashes the net. And with 6 minutes to play, it’s 55 in Vegas. [Applause] And here in Las Vegas on night number two in the NHL season, we’ll go to the shootout. Here’s lefty Moore. Trevor Moore shoots and scores. He roofs it past Hill. Righty shooter scoops it up on the logo at center. Starts into the circle. Mner in front. stopped by Forsber. Kings win in Las Vegas. This was Hey, it’s a long journey. It’s a long journey to get back and then get where we want to get to. It was a hell of a hockey game last night despite the fact that we weren’t great offensively. Hard to come in here. Come back. Thank you very [Music]

20 years later, Anže Kopitar is still at the top of his game leading a perennial playoff contender in the LA Kings. This was a big summer for the Players and the Organization, bringing in new players, new management, and a increased sense of urgency. Come along behind the scenes as the team prepares for a new season ready to take the next step.