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Watch: Anze Kopitar receives adorable moment with son ahead of Kings franchise record 1,297th career start
As Anze Kopitar, the veteran center for the Los Angeles Kings, prepares to make his 1,297th career start, he was treated to a heartwarming moment with his second child, Jakob, that left fans and fellow players smiling.
Kopitar, who has been a cornerstone of the King's success for over a decade, is on the brink of breaking the franchise record for career starts, a record previously held by Dustin Brown at 1,296 starts.
Jakob, dressed in a mini Kings jersey with his father's number 11, skated out with a big smile on his face. He was excitedly waving and saying "Hi" to the Kings players in their locker room. Anze was unaware that Jakob had rehearsed reading the starting lineup for the team.
As the team gathered for their pre-game ritual, he was given the opportunity to talk about their line-up:
"In goal, number 39, Cam Talbot. On defense, number 44, Mikey Anderson. Number 8, Drew Doughty. Forwards, number 55, Quinton Byfield. Number 9, Andrian Kempe and my dad, number 11, Anze Kapitar"
Anze Kopitar knelt down to hug his son, and congratulated him with "good job," in front of his teammates, with his heart filled with pride, love and affection.
Anze Kopitar - The Kings defensive genius
Anze Kopitar achieved a milestone by playing in his 1,297th game, solidifying his position as the all-time games played leader for the Los Angeles Kings.
During the King's 4-2 defeat to the Boston Bruins, Kopitar surpassed his former teammate Duston Brown.
The Kings drafted Anze Kopitar as the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft, and he is one of the 10 remaining active players from that draft, including top pick Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jonathan Quick, a third-round selection who has since moved on to the New York Rangers.
Anze Kopitar, along with Brown, Drew Doughty, and Quick, formed the core of the Kings during their Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014. Brown retired after the 2021-22 season, knowing that his record would be short-lived.
Kopitar has scored 395 goals, made 751 assists, and amassed 1,146 career points, leading the Kings in scoring for 15 of the past 17 seasons.
He has served as Los Angeles captain since 2016 and needs just nine more points to surpass Luc Robitaille for second on the team's all-time scoring list. Having signed a two-year extension in the offseason, Kopitar is under contract until the 2025-26 season and displays no signs of slowing down.
In the last season, he secured his second Lady Byng Trophy, with a mere four penalty minutes in nearly 1,655 minutes of ice time.
Anze Kopitar and Doughty serve as the elder statesmen on a Kings team with ambitions to contend in the Western Conference and secure their first playoff series victory since their second child title in 2014. Coincidentally, also Doughty celebrated his 1,100th game of Saturday night.
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