Growing up in Slovenia, golf was not a very big part of Anze Kopitar’s life. It has become one now that he’s spent his entire 20-year career in sunny Los Angeles, where he’s been captain of the L.A. Kings for over a decade.
“Being in L.A. for 20 years, you form quite a few connections,” Kopitar told us on this week’s episode of The Loop podcast. “It didn’t hurt that we won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014, so you’re kind of hot stuff.”
Advertisement
You can imagine the invites the two-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Selke Trophy winner and five-time All-Star has received in his day. With Kopitar announcing he will retire at the end of the 2025-’26 NHL season, he’ll be saying yes to every single one of them starting next summer.
“We get to play so many nice courses, Riv [Riviera], Bel-Air, Sherwood,” Kopitar said. “You almost take it for granted. It’s very accessible to us.”
Kopitar, 38, will finish his career as a King at the end of this season, cementing himself as the greatest player in franchise history. High praise for a franchise that Wayne Gretzky played eight seasons for, not to mention other greats like Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake.
During our full chat with Kopitar, he tells us more about what went into his decision to announce his retirement, how he took up golf at the beginning of his NHL career and the No. 1 celebrity golf event he wants to play in (hint: it’s not Tahoe). Please, have a listen below, and like and subscribe to The Loop wherever you get your podcasts.