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129-629: Anže Kopitar ( pronounced [anˈʒɛ kɔˈpiːtaɾ] , born 24 August 1987) is a Slovenian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). The 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL entry draft , Kopitar became the first Slovene to play in the NHL upon making his debut in 2006 . Kopitar has spent his entire NHL career with the Kings, has led
258-419: A centre and two wingers : a left wing and a right wing . Forwards often play together as units or lines , with the same three forwards always playing together. The defencemen usually stay together as a pair generally divided between left and right. Left and right side wingers or defencemen are generally positioned on the side on which they carry their stick. A substitution of an entire unit at once
387-401: A penalty shootout . If the score remains tied after an extra overtime period, the subsequent shootout consists of three players from each team taking penalty shots. After these six total shots, the team with the most goals is awarded the victory. If the score is still tied, the shootout then proceeds to sudden death . Regardless of the number of goals scored by either team during the shootout,
516-566: A 6–3 win over the Edmonton Oilers with an assist on a Kevin Fiala goal, becoming the third player in Kings history to reach the mark. Kopitar recorded his sixth career hat-trick on 28 February, scoring four goals in a 6–5 shootout victory against the Winnipeg Jets . At the season's end, he would win his second Lady Byng Memorial Trophy , becoming the first Kings player since Wayne Gretzky to win
645-480: A Slovenian he had few opportunities to play in tournaments like this. Kopitar is known in the NHL as one of the most effective two-way forwards , excelling in both offence and defence, for which he has won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2016 and 2018, after being a finalist for the award in both 2014 and 2015. In addition to his defensive play, Kopitar has one of the highest career averages for winning faceoffs , and has led
774-733: 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. Kopitar's grandmother taught English at
903-405: A chest protector, a goalie mask, and a large jersey. Goaltenders' equipment has continually become larger and larger, leading to fewer goals in each game and many official rule changes. Ice hockey skates are optimized for physical acceleration, speed and manoeuvrability. This includes rapid starts, stops, turns, and changes in skating direction. In addition, they must be rigid and tough to protect
1032-781: A finalist for the Selke Trophy four times and winning twice. In 2018, he was a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy . He also exemplified great gentlemanly play, being nominated for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy three times and winning twice. Praised as one of the best players in the NHL, Kopitar won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2012 and 2014 , leading the playoffs in points on both occasions (tied with teammate Dustin Brown in 2012). Internationally, Kopitar has represented
1161-537: A forward. The seventh defenceman may play as a substitute defenceman, spend the game on the bench, or if a team chooses to play four lines then this seventh defenceman may see ice-time on the fourth line as a forward. A professional ice hockey game consists of three periods of twenty minutes, the clock running only when the puck is in play. The teams change ends after each period of play, including overtime. Recreational leagues and children's leagues often play shorter games, generally with three shorter periods of play. If
1290-534: A game is tied after regulation, then a 20-minute period of 5-on-5 sudden-death overtime will be added. If the game is still tied after the overtime, another period is added until a team scores, which wins the match. Since 2019, the IIHF World Championships and the gold medal game in the Olympics use the same format, but in a 3-on-3 format. In ice hockey, infractions of the rules lead to a play stoppage whereby
1419-604: A goal by Jarret Stoll . Two days later in game two of the series, Kopitar recorded his first career playoff goal against Canucks' goaltender Roberto Luongo as the Kings would go on to win the game 3–2 to even the series at 1–1. The Kings would go on to lose in the Western Conference quarterfinals in six games to the 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
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#17330928512071548-412: A goal scored by the other team. Major penalties assessed for fighting are typically offsetting, meaning neither team is short-handed and the players exit the penalty box upon a stoppage of play following the expiration of their respective penalties. The foul of boarding (defined as "check[ing] an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards") is penalized either by
1677-672: A home in Manhattan Beach in 2014. Kopitar met Ines Dominc in Slovenia in 2005; they married in July 2013. Their first child, a daughter named Neža, was born on 14 March 2015. Their second child, son Jakob, was born 5 October 2016. Bold indicates led league Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates , usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to
1806-528: A larger blade and a wide, flat shaft. This stick is primarily intended to block shots, but the goaltender may use it to play the puck as well. Ice hockey is a full-contact sport and carries a high risk of injury. Players are moving at speeds around approximately 20–30 mph (30–50 km/h) and much of the game revolves around the physical contact between the players. Skate blades, hockey sticks, shoulder contact, hip contact, and hockey pucks can all potentially cause injuries. Lace bite , an irritation felt on
1935-472: 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 soccer and is a declared supporter of Slovenian soccer club NK Maribor . Kopitar is renowned in Slovenia due to his hockey exploits, with a government-sponsored website declaring that after he won the Stanley Cup in 2012 he
2064-458: A minor or major penalty at the discretion of the referee, based on the violent state of the hit. A minor or major penalty for boarding is often assessed when a player checks an opponent from behind and into the boards. Some varieties of penalty do not require the offending team to play a man short. Concurrent five-minute major penalties in the NHL usually result from fighting. In the case of two players being assessed five-minute fighting majors, both
2193-436: A neck protector. Goaltenders use different equipment. With hockey pucks approaching them at speeds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h) they must wear equipment with more protection. Goaltenders wear specialized goalie skates (these skates are built more for movement side to side rather than forwards and backwards), a jock or jill, large leg pads (there are size restrictions in certain leagues), blocking glove, catching glove,
2322-503: A new Kings team record, passing Marcel Dionne on 15 March 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 in a game against the Colorado Avalanche . Despite the injury setback and missing the final seven regular season games and the playoffs, Kopitar led the team in scoring for the fourth straight season with 73 points (25 goals, 48 assists), and
2451-535: A penalty, but was an infraction in the NHL before recent rules changes, is the two-line offside pass . Prior to the 2005–06 NHL season, play was stopped when a pass from inside a team's defending zone crossed the centre line, with a face-off held in the defending zone of the offending team. Now, the centre line is no longer used in the NHL to determine a two-line pass infraction, a change that the IIHF had adopted in 1998. Players are now able to pass to teammates who are more than
2580-409: A player may receive up to nineteen minutes in penalties for one string of plays. This could involve receiving a four-minute double-minor penalty, getting in a fight with an opposing player who retaliates, and then receiving a game misconduct after the fight. In this case, the player is ejected and two teammates must serve the double-minor and major penalties. A penalty shot is awarded to a player when
2709-590: A potential candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP (although the award eventually went to teammate Justin Williams ). Despite the defending Stanley Cup champion Kings not qualifying for the 2015 playoffs , The 2014–15 campaign saw Kopitar continue his individual dominance and tie Marcel Dionne as he became the only player in Kings history to lead the team in scoring eight times, having scored 16 goals and 48 assists for 64 points in 79 games. Kopitar
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#17330928512072838-415: A shot or pass play. Officials also stop play for puck movement violations, such as using one's hands to pass the puck in the offensive end, but no players are penalized for these offences. The sole exceptions are deliberately falling on or gathering the puck to the body, carrying the puck in the hand, and shooting the puck out of play in one's defensive zone (all penalized two minutes for delay of game). In
2967-492: A team losing a skater during regulation instead causes the other side to add a skater. Once the penalized team's penalty ends, the penalized skater exits the penalty box and the teams continue at 4-on-4 until the next stoppage of play, at which point the teams return to three skaters per side. International play and several North American professional leagues, including the NHL (in the regular season), now use an overtime period identical to that from 1999–2000 to 2003–04 followed by
3096-409: A tie occurs in tournament play, as well as in the NHL playoffs, North Americans favour sudden death overtime , in which the teams continue to play twenty-minute periods until a goal is scored. Up until the 1999–2000 season, regular-season NHL games were settled with a single five-minute sudden death period with five players (plus a goalie) per side, with both teams awarded one point in the standings in
3225-462: Is a full-contact sport, body checks are allowed so injuries are a common occurrence. Protective equipment is mandatory and is enforced in all competitive situations. This includes a helmet with either a visor or a full face mask, shoulder pads, elbow pads, mouth guard, protective gloves, heavily padded shorts (also known as hockey pants) or a girdle, athletic cup (also known as a jock, for males; and jill, for females), shin pads, skates, and (optionally)
3354-410: Is also a penalty in certain leagues in order to reduce the chance of injury to players. Often the term checking is used to refer to body checking, with its true definition generally only propagated among fans of the game. One of the most important strategies for a team is their forecheck . Forechecking is the act of attacking the opposition in their defensive zone. Forechecking is an important part of
3483-459: Is called a line change . Teams typically employ alternate sets of forward lines and defensive pairings when short-handed or on a power play . The goaltender stands in a, usually blue, semi-circle called the crease in the defensive zone keeping pucks out of the goal. Substitutions are permitted at any time during the game, although during a stoppage of play the home team is permitted the final change. When players are substituted during play, it
3612-418: Is called changing on the fly . An NHL rule added in the 2005–06 season prevents a team from changing their line after they ice the puck. The boards surrounding the ice help keep the puck in play and they can also be used as tools to play the puck. Players are permitted to bodycheck opponents into the boards to stop progress. The referees, linesmen and the outsides of the goal are "in play" and do not stop
3741-422: Is ice hockey. While the general characteristics of the game remain constant, the exact rules depend on the particular code of play being used. The two most important codes are those of the IIHF and the NHL. Both of these codes, and others, originated from Canadian rules of ice hockey of the early 20th century. Ice hockey is played on a hockey rink . During normal play, there are six players on ice skates on
3870-528: Is if a team opts to pull their goalie in exchange for an extra skater during overtime and is subsequently scored upon (an empty net goal), in which case the losing team receives no points for the overtime loss. Since the 2015–16 season, the single five-minute sudden-death overtime session involves three skaters on each side. Since three skaters must always be on the ice in an NHL game, the consequences of penalties are slightly different from those during regulation play; any penalty during overtime that would result in
3999-403: Is the left wing lock , which has two forwards pressure the puck and the left wing and the two defencemen stay at the blueline. Offensive tactics include improving a team's position on the ice by advancing the puck out of one's zone towards the opponent's zone, progressively by gaining lines, first your own blue line, then the red line and finally the opponent's blue line. NHL rules instated for
Anže Kopitar - Misplaced Pages Continue
4128-457: The dump and chase strategy (i.e. shooting the puck into the offensive zone and then chasing after it). Each team uses their own unique system but the main ones are: 2–1–2 , 1–2–2, and 1–4. The 2–1–2 is the most basic forecheck system where two forwards go in deep and pressure the opposition's defencemen, the third forward stays high and the two defencemen stay at the blueline. The 1–2–2 is a bit more conservative system where one forward pressures
4257-620: 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 U18 tournament and the 2004 World Junior Championships . Slovenia competed in Division I at both tournaments, one level below the top division. Kopitar scored six 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 categories; at
4386-475: 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
4515-669: The Anaheim Ducks . Kopitar finished the 2021–22 season playing in 81 games with 67 points (19 goals, 48 assists) recorded as the Kings qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2018 where the Kings lost in the first round in seven games to the Edmonton Oilers . He was eventually awarded the Mark Messier Leadership Award , becoming the second Kings player to win it after teammate Dustin Brown in 2014. On 9 January 2023, Kopitar recorded his 1,100th NHL point in
4644-557: The Division I level , with six points in five games. At the 2006 World Championship he played for Slovenia at the top level and recorded three goals and nine points in six games, tying for fifth among scoring leaders. Slovenia was relegated to Division I for 2007 , where Kopitar had 13 assists and 14 points, leading the tournament in both categories. Back in the top division for the 2008 IIHF World Championship , Kopitar appeared in five games and had four points to lead his team, though Slovenia
4773-719: The Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace , in Paris , France, the precursor to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The sport was played for the first time at the Olympics during the 1920 Summer Games —today it is a mainstay at the Winter Olympics . In 1994, ice hockey was officially recognized as Canada's national winter sport. While women also played during the game's early formative years, it
4902-644: The Slovenian Ice Hockey League . Kopitar had four goals and four assists 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
5031-470: The Slovenian national team in several junior and senior tournaments, as well as at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi . He also played for Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey . 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 clubs, and also appeared in 11 games for the senior team HK Kranjska Gora of
5160-583: The Stanley Cup Finals for 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 (eight goals, 12 assists) from all 20 games played. Kopitar became the first Slovenian-born player to win the Stanley Cup. In recognition of this, Kopitar was named as the 2012 Slovenian male Athlete of the Year. The 2012–13 NHL season
5289-469: The Vegas Golden Knights , setting a franchise record for most points in a home opening game since Jari Kurri did it back in 1991–92. However, Kopitar missed the 20-goal mark for the first time since the 2016–17 season (excluding the shortened 2020–21 season). He recorded his 700th career assist on a goal by Adrian Kempe in the Kings' final home game of the season on 23 April 2022, a 4–2 win against
Anže Kopitar - Misplaced Pages Continue
5418-533: The Western Conference at the 56th NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta , his first all-star game appearance. He was the youngest player in the game, nearly two years younger than the second-youngest player, Paul Stastny ( Sidney Crosby was younger, but had to withdraw prior to the game due to injury). Kopitar finished the regular season with 32 goals and 45 assists for 77 points; he led the Kings in assists and points and
5547-585: The 'Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes'. Teams were weighted based on playoff appearances in the last three completed seasons (2001-02, 02-03 and 03-04), and first overall picks in the last four drafts (2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004). Three lottery balls each were assigned to teams which had not qualified for any of those playoffs and received no first overall picks in that period. Teams which had one playoff appearance or first overall pick in those years were given two lottery balls. All other teams received one lottery ball. Three balls Two balls One ball This produced
5676-457: The 1880s, and professional ice hockey originated around 1900. The Stanley Cup , emblematic of ice hockey club supremacy, was initially commissioned in 1892 as the "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup" and was first awarded in 1893 to recognise the Canadian amateur champion and later became the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL). In the early 1900s, the Canadian rules were adopted by
5805-485: The 18th and 19th centuries in Britain, Ireland, and elsewhere, primarily bandy , hurling , and shinty . The North American sport of lacrosse , derived from tribal Native American games, was also influential. The former games were brought to North America and several similar winter games using informal rules developed, such as shinny and ice polo, but later were absorbed into a new organized game with codified rules which today
5934-659: The 1930s, hockey was an on-side game, meaning that only backward passes were allowed. Those rules emphasized individual stick-handling to drive the puck forward. With the arrival of offside rules, the forward pass transformed hockey into a true team sport, where individual performance diminished in importance relative to team play, which could now be coordinated over the entire surface of the ice as opposed to merely rearward players. The six players on each team are typically divided into three forwards, two defencemen, and one goaltender. The term skaters typically applies to all players except goaltenders. The forward positions consist of
6063-416: The 2006 season redefined the offside rule to make the two-line pass legal; a player may pass the puck from behind his own blue line, past both that blue line and the centre red line, to a player on the near side of the opponents' blue line. Offensive tactics are designed ultimately to score a goal by taking a shot. When a player purposely directs the puck towards the opponent's goal, he or she is said to "shoot"
6192-541: The 2023–24 season. He finished the season with 25 goals, 49 assists and 74 points, setting a team record by leading the Kings in scoring for a ninth consecutive season and the Kings would get back into the playoffs where they would lose in five games to the San Jose Sharks . Kopitar also was awarded both the Lady Byng Trophy and Frank J. Selke Trophy , the first player from the Kings to win either award. He also won
6321-496: The Bill Libby Memorial Award as the most valuable player on the Kings for the fifth time. On 16 June 2016, Kopitar was named the captain of the Kings, replacing Dustin Brown . In his first season as captain of the Kings, Kopitar saw his production drop, and he finished with 12 goals, 40 assists and 52 points in 76 contests, second on the team behind Jeff Carter 's 66 points, and ending his nine-year streak of leading
6450-472: The Edmonton Oilers in the opening round for a third consecutive year, this time in five games. On 30 October 2024, Kopitar recorded his 800th career assist on a goal by Kevin Fiala in a 6–3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, becoming the 35th player in league history to hit the mark. Kopitar first played in an international tournament when he participated in the Division I (second level) tournament of
6579-459: The Kings as a team finish the season as the sixth seed in the West and Kopitar play all 82 games and individually lead the team in scoring for the seventh consecutive season, with 70 points (29 goals, 41 assists), and was named both the team's most valuable player and best defensive player. He also was a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as best defensive forward in the NHL for the first time, which
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#17330928512076708-476: The Kings in both assists and points, while again finishing second in goals scored. The following season , Kopitar scored his first career NHL hat-trick (three goals in one game) on 22 October 2009 against the Dallas Stars . He finished the 2009–10 season with a career-high 34 goals, 47 assists and 81 points in all 82 contests played. For the second time in his career, Kopitar won the Bill Libby Memorial Award as
6837-509: The Kings in scoring, and was named the team's best defensive player. Kopitar and the Kings would go on another lengthy playoff run as the defending champions but unable to defend their title as they lost in five games to the Presidents' Trophy-winning and eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks . Kopitar finished the 2013 playoffs by playing in all 18 games with three goals and six assists for nine points recorded. The 2013–14 season saw
6966-562: The Kings in team scoring 14 times in his career. "He combines size, strength and intelligence, he's as difficult to play against as any player in the league. He's very responsible defensively and checks very well, especially with his stick. He's one of the best in the league at anticipating where the puck is going and jumping in to cut off cycles." Kopitar was born in Jesenice , Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia ) to Matjaž and Mateja Kopitar. Matjaž played hockey for HK Acroni Jesenice , winning
7095-709: The Kings on 7 September 2005, but returned to play in Sweden for another season. The next year, 2006, he accepted an invitation to Los Angeles' rookie camp. Kopitar made his NHL debut on 6 October 2006, against the Anaheim Ducks , scoring 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. Kopitar completed his first NHL season third among rookies in scoring, behind Evgeni Malkin and Paul Šťastný , with 20 goals and 41 assists for 61 points. It marked
7224-460: The Kings' most valuable player, and led the team in scoring for the third-straight year. as the Kings qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2002 having finished the season as the sixth seed in the West. Kopitar made his Stanley Cup playoff debut on 15 April 2010, in the first game of the opening round against the third-seeded Vancouver Canucks where the Kings lost the game 3–2 and recorded his first career playoff assist and point on
7353-536: The NHL in 2016 , as well as the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly play the same year. He won the Selke Trophy a second time in 2018 and the Lady Byng Trophy in 2023 . Kopitar played junior hockey for his hometown team HK Acroni Jesenice before moving to Sweden at age 16 to play in a more competitive league. He spent one season with the junior teams of the Södertälje SK organization, and then with
7482-410: The NHL, a unique penalty applies to the goalies. The goalies now are forbidden to play the puck in the "corners" of the rink near their own net. This will result in a two-minute penalty against the goalie's team. Only in the area in front of the goal line and immediately behind the net (marked by two red lines on either side of the net) can the goalie play the puck. An additional rule that has never been
7611-538: The National Hockey League, a number of leagues have implemented the "four-official system", where an additional referee is added to aid in the calling of penalties normally difficult to assess by one referee. The system is used in every NHL game since 2001, at IIHF World Championships , the Olympics and in many professional and high-level amateur leagues in North America and Europe. Officials are selected by
7740-578: The World Juniors he had one goal and one assist in five games. In 2005, Kopitar appeared in three international tournaments for Slovenia; he took part in the U18 Championship , World Juniors , and the senior World Championship , his first tournament with the Slovenian national team . Slovenia competed at the Division I level for both junior tournaments, but at the top level for the senior championship. He would play his last junior tournament in 2006 at
7869-462: The all-time assists leader in Kings franchise history. On 20 March 2024, Kopitar recorded his 1,200th NHL point with an assist on a goal scored by Kevin Fiala in a 6–0 win over the Minnesota Wild . He finished the 2023–24 season with 26 goals and 44 assists for 70 points in 81 games along with one goal, two assists and three points in all five games in the 2024 playoffs as the Kings were defeated by
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#17330928512077998-415: The app determines that a particular impact has the potential to cause brain injury, it will alert the coach who can in turn seek medical attention for the individual. Defensive ice hockey tactics vary from more active to more conservative styles of play. One distinction is between man-to-man oriented defensive systems, and zonal oriented defensive systems, though a lot of teams use a combination between
8127-522: The award more than once. The Kings re-signed Kopitar to a two-year contract extension on 6 July 2023. On 21 October, in a 4–2 loss to the Boston Bruins , Kopitar passed Dustin Brown as leader of games played in the Kings franchise history. Having an impressive start in the 2023–24 season , on 8 November, he scored his 400th NHL goal, which was also the game-winning goal, against the Vegas Golden Knights. On 3 December, Kopitar passed Marcel Dionne to become
8256-477: The blue and centre ice red line away. The NHL has taken steps to speed up the game of hockey and create a game of finesse, by reducing the number of illegal hits, fights, and "clutching and grabbing" that occurred in the past. Rules are now more strictly enforced, resulting in more penalties, which provides more protection to the players and facilitates more goals being scored. The governing body for United States' amateur hockey has implemented many new rules to reduce
8385-562: The defeating the back-to-back Presidents' Trophy -winning Vancouver Canucks in five games in the conference quarterfinals along with a conference semifinals sweep to the St. Louis Blues and a five-game victory over the Phoenix Coyotes in the conference finals of the 2012 playoffs , the Kings won the Stanley Cup as the playoff champions, by defeating the New Jersey Devils in six games in
8514-533: The end of the 2018–19 season , on 1 April, in a 7–2 loss against the Calgary Flames , Kopitar played his 1,000th NHL game. On 5 May 2021, towards the end of the pandemic -shortened 2020–21 season , Kopitar recorded his 1,000th career point against the Arizona Coyotes on a Sean Walker goal, becoming the 91st player to reach the mark. On 14 October 2021, Kopitar scored three goals and two assists against
8643-452: The event of a tie. With a goal, the winning team would be awarded two points and the losing team none (just as if they had lost in regulation). The total elapsed time from when the puck first drops, is about 2 hours and 20 minutes for a 60-minute game. From the 1999–2000 until the 2003–04 seasons, the National Hockey League decided ties by playing a single five-minute sudden-death overtime period with each team having four skaters per side (plus
8772-531: 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
8901-411: The final score recorded will award the winning team one more goal than the score at the end of regulation time. In the NHL if a game is decided in overtime or by a shootout the winning team is awarded two points in the standings and the losing team is awarded one point. Ties no longer occur in the NHL. Overtime in the NHL playoffs differs from the regular season. In the playoffs there are no shootouts. If
9030-460: The first time and was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the second time in his career. Kopitar and the Kings would return to the playoffs after missing the year prior. In the 2018 playoffs, Kopitar recorded a goal and an assist as the Kings would be swept in the opening round to the Vegas Golden Knights . On 5 January 2019, Kopitar recorded his 300th NHL goal in a 4–0 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Oilers' goaltender Cam Talbot . Towards
9159-502: The front of the foot or ankle, is a common ice hockey injury. Compared to athletes who play other sports, ice hockey players are at higher risk of overuse injuries and injuries caused by early sports specialization by teenagers. According to the Hughston Health Alert, prior to the widespread use of helmets and face cages, "Lacerations to the head, scalp, and face are the most frequent types of injury [in hockey]." One of
9288-427: The game , too many players on the ice , boarding , illegal equipment, charging (leaping into an opponent or body-checking him after taking more than two strides), holding, holding the stick (grabbing an opponent's stick), interference, hooking , slashing , kneeing, unsportsmanlike conduct (arguing a penalty call with referee, extremely vulgar or inappropriate verbal comments), "butt-ending" (striking an opponent with
9417-411: The game when the puck or players either bounce into or collide with them. Play can be stopped if the goal is knocked out of position. Play often proceeds for minutes without interruption. After a stoppage, play is restarted with a faceoff . Two players face each other and an official drops the puck to the ice, where the two players attempt to gain control of the puck. Markings (circles) on the ice indicate
9546-406: The game. There are typically two linesmen who are mainly responsible for calling "offside" and " icing " violations, breaking up fights, and conducting faceoffs, and one or two referees , who call goals and all other penalties. Linesmen can report to the referee(s) that a penalty should be assessed against an offending player in some situations. The restrictions on this practice vary depending on
9675-401: The goalie). In the event of a tie, each team would still receive one point in the standings but in the event of a victory the winning team would be awarded two points in the standings and the losing team one point. The idea was to discourage teams from playing for a tie, since previously some teams might have preferred a tie and 1 point to risking a loss and zero points. The exception to this rule
9804-402: The goaltender carries a stick consisting of a long, relatively wide, and slightly curved flat blade, attached to a shaft. The curve itself has a big impact on its performance. A deep curve allows for lifting the puck easier while a shallow curve allows for easier backhand shots. The flex of the stick also impacts the performance. Typically, a less flexible stick is meant for a stronger player since
9933-404: The governing rules. On-ice officials are assisted by off-ice officials who act as goal judges, time keepers, and official scorers. The most widespread system is the "three-man system", which uses one referee and two linesmen. A less commonly used system is the two referee and one linesman system. This system is close to the regular three-man system except for a few procedure changes. Beginning with
10062-465: The head and most types of forceful stick-on-body contact are illegal. A delayed penalty call occurs when an offence is committed by the team that does not have possession of the puck. In this circumstance the team with possession of the puck is allowed to complete the play; that is, play continues until a goal is scored, a player on the opposing team gains control of the puck, or the team in possession commits an infraction or penalty of their own. Because
10191-559: The heads, as well as checks to unsuspecting players. Studies show that ice hockey causes 44.3% of all sports-related traumatic brain injuries among Canadian children. Some teams in the Swiss National League are testing out systems that combine helmet-integrated sensors and analysis software to reveal a player's ongoing brain injury risk during a game. These sensors provide players and coaches with real-time data on head impact strength, frequency, and severity. Furthermore, if
10320-557: The ice at a time, barring any penalties, including a goaltender . It is a full contact game and one of the more physically demanding team sports. The modern sport of ice hockey was developed in Canada, most notably in Montreal , where the first indoor game was played on March 3, 1875. Some characteristics of that game, such as the length of the ice rink and the use of a puck, have been retained to this day. Amateur ice hockey leagues began in
10449-458: The ice per side, one of them being the goaltender. The objective of the game is to score goals by shooting a hard vulcanized rubber disc, the puck , into the opponent's goal net at the opposite end of the rink. The players use their sticks to pass or shoot the puck. With certain restrictions, players may redirect the puck with any part of their body. Players may not hold the puck in their hand and are prohibited from using their hands to pass
10578-458: The ice. Loafing , also known as cherry-picking , is when a player, usually a forward, skates behind an attacking team, instead of playing defence, in an attempt to create an easy scoring chance. 2005 NHL entry draft The 2005 NHL entry draft was the 43rd NHL entry draft . Originally scheduled to be held on June 25, the 2004–05 NHL lockout led to the draft being postponed to July 30. Special procedures were required to determine
10707-417: The illegal actions of another player stop a clear scoring opportunity, most commonly when the player is on a breakaway . A penalty shot allows the obstructed player to pick up the puck on the centre red-line and attempt to score on the goalie with no other players on the ice, to compensate for the earlier missed scoring opportunity. A penalty shot is also awarded for a defender other than the goaltender covering
10836-422: The knob of the stick), "spearing" (jabbing an opponent with the blade of the stick), or cross-checking . As of the 2005–2006 season, a minor penalty is also assessed for diving , where a player embellishes or simulates an offence. More egregious fouls may be penalized by a four-minute double-minor penalty, particularly those that injure the victimized player. These penalties end either when the time runs out or when
10965-482: The leading causes of head injury is body checking from behind. Due to the danger of delivering a check from behind, many leagues – including the NHL – have made this a major and game misconduct penalty. Another type of check that accounts for many of the player-to-player contact concussions is a check to the head resulting in a misconduct penalty (called "head contact"). In recent years, the NHL has implemented new rules which penalize and suspend players for illegal checks to
11094-492: The league they work for. Amateur hockey leagues use guidelines established by national organizing bodies as a basis for choosing their officiating staffs. In North America, the national organizing bodies Hockey Canada and USA Hockey approve officials according to their experience level as well as their ability to pass rules knowledge and skating ability tests. Hockey Canada has officiating levels I through VI. USA Hockey has officiating levels 1 through 4. Since men's ice hockey
11223-792: The league title three times, and was a member of the Yugoslav and Slovenian national teams. He also coached HK Acroni Jesenice of the Austrian Hockey League during the 2006–07 season and the Slovenian national team from 2010 until 2015. Mateja worked at the family restaurant 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 play there whenever he could. Kopitar has
11352-562: The locations for the faceoff and guide the positioning of players. Three major rules of play in ice hockey limit the movement of the puck: offside , icing , and the puck going out of play. Under IIHF rules, each team may carry a maximum of 20 players and two goaltenders on their roster. NHL rules restrict the total number of players per game to 18, plus two goaltenders. In the NHL, the players are usually divided into four lines of three forwards, and into three pairs of defencemen. On occasion, teams may elect to substitute an extra defenceman for
11481-435: The misconduct (a two-and-ten or five-and-ten ). In this case, the team designates another player to serve the minor or major; both players go to the penalty box, but only the designee may not be replaced, and he is released upon the expiration of the two or five minutes, at which point the ten-minute misconduct begins. In addition, game misconducts are assessed for deliberate intent to inflict severe injury on an opponent (at
11610-417: The number of stick-on-body occurrences, as well as other detrimental and illegal facets of the game ("zero tolerance"). In men's hockey, but not in women's, a player may use his hip or shoulder to hit another player if the player has the puck or is the last to have touched it. This use of the hip and shoulder is called body checking . Not all physical contact is legal—in particular, hits from behind, hits to
11739-442: The officials' discretion), or for a major penalty for a stick infraction or repeated major penalties. The offending player is ejected from the game and must immediately leave the playing surface (he does not sit in the penalty box); meanwhile, if an additional minor or major penalty is assessed, a designated player must serve out of that segment of the penalty in the box (similar to the above-mentioned "two-and-ten"). In some rare cases,
11868-476: The order of picks, because the previous season had been cancelled due to the lockout. The first overall pick was won in a lottery by the Pittsburgh Penguins , who selected Sidney Crosby . As of 2024, the remaining active players in the NHL from this draft are Sidney Crosby , Anze Kopitar , T. J. Oshie , Kris Letang , Marc-Edouard Vlasic , Jack Johnson , Ryan Reaves , and Jonathan Quick . The draft
11997-424: The order. The new CBA reduced the draft length to seven rounds, compared to the nine rounds used previously. As a result, 230 players were selected. The lottery was held on July 22, the same day that the new CBA was approved. The top-rated prospect in this draft was Sidney Crosby , and it was widely assumed that he would be the first overall pick by whichever team won the lottery, so it became known colloquially as
12126-540: The other team scores during the power play. In the case of a goal scored during the first two minutes of a double-minor, the penalty clock is set down to two minutes upon a score, effectively expiring the first minor penalty. Five-minute major penalties are called for especially violent instances of most minor infractions that result in intentional injury to an opponent, or when a minor penalty results in visible injury (such as bleeding), as well as for fighting. Major penalties are always served in full; they do not terminate on
12255-413: The other, the opposing team gets a power play for the remainder of the time); this applies regardless of current pending penalties. In the NHL, a team always has at least three skaters on the ice. Thus, ten-minute misconduct penalties are served in full by the penalized player, but his team may immediately substitute another player on the ice unless a minor or major penalty is assessed in conjunction with
12384-461: The penalty is still assessed to the offending player, but not served. In 2012, this rule was changed by the United States' National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for college level hockey . In college games, the penalty is still enforced even if the team in possession scores. A typical game of hockey is governed by two to four officials on the ice, charged with enforcing the rules of
12513-499: The play is restarted at a faceoff. Some infractions result in a penalty on a player or team. In the simplest case, the offending player is sent to the penalty box and their team must play with one less player on the ice for a designated time. Minor penalties last for two minutes, major penalties last for five minutes, and a double minor penalty is two consecutive penalties of two minutes duration. A single minor penalty may be extended by two minutes for causing visible injury to
12642-411: The player is looking for the right balanced flex that allows the stick to flex easily while still having a strong "whip-back" which sends the puck flying at high speeds. It is quite distinct from sticks in other sports games and most suited to hitting and controlling the flat puck. Its unique shape contributed to the early development of the game. The goaltender carries a stick of a different design, with
12771-461: The players serve five minutes without their team incurring a loss of player (both teams still have a full complement of players on the ice). This differs with two players from opposing sides getting minor penalties, at the same time or at any intersecting moment, resulting from more common infractions. In this case, both teams will have only four skating players (not counting the goaltender) until one or both penalties expire (if one penalty expires before
12900-439: The puck carrier and the other two forwards cover the oppositions' wingers, with the two defencemen staying at the blueline. The 1–4 is the most defensive forecheck system, referred to as the neutral zone trap, where one forward applies pressure to the puck carrier around the oppositions' blueline and the other four players stand basically in a line by their blueline in hopes the opposition will skate into one of them. Another strategy
13029-406: The puck carrier in the neutral zone preventing him from entering the offensive zone. Body checking is using one's shoulder or hip to strike an opponent who has the puck or who is the last to have touched it (the last person to have touched the puck is still legally "in possession" of it, although a penalty is generally called if he is checked more than two seconds after his last touch). Body checking
13158-405: The puck in the goal crease, a goaltender intentionally displacing his own goal posts during a breakaway to avoid a goal, a defender intentionally displacing his own goal posts when there is less than two minutes to play in regulation time or at any point during overtime, or a player or coach intentionally throwing a stick or other object at the puck or the puck carrier and the throwing action disrupts
13287-443: The puck to their teammates unless they are in the defensive zone. Players can knock a puck out of the air with their hands to themselves. Players are prohibited from kicking the puck into the opponent's goal, though unintentional redirections off the skate are permitted. Players may not intentionally bat the puck into the net with their hands. Hockey is an off-side game, meaning that forward passes are allowed, unlike in rugby. Before
13416-409: The puck. A deflection is a shot that redirects a shot or a pass towards the goal from another player, by allowing the puck to strike the stick and carom towards the goal. A one-timer is a shot struck directly off a pass, without receiving the pass and shooting in two separate actions. Headmanning the puck , also known as breaking out , is the tactic of rapidly passing to the player farthest down
13545-475: The quarterfinals of the tournament by scoring two goals and one assist. Kopitar was also named to play in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey for Team Europe , which includes players from most of Europe (the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, and Sweden have their own teams). Prior to the announcement Kopitar had expressed excitement towards the concept, which was to be introduced during the tournament, noting that as
13674-418: The right side" (of the puck). Another popular concept in ice hockey defensive tactics is that of playing a 200-foot game . An important defensive tactic is checking—attempting to take the puck from an opponent or to remove the opponent from play. Stick checking , sweep checking , and poke checking are legal uses of the stick to obtain possession of the puck. The neutral zone trap is designed to isolate
13803-406: The senior team of the top-level Elitserien . He moved to North America to join the Kings in 2006, one year after he was drafted, and finished fourth in the Calder Memorial Trophy voting for the league's top rookie. Kopitar's offensive talent was immediately apparent when he joined the Kings, while his defensive style developed in later seasons and he has become recognized for his two-way play, being
13932-405: The series), the top-seeded Anaheim Ducks in the second round in seven games (after initially trailing 3–2 earlier in the series) and the defending Stanley Cup champion and fifth-seeded Chicago Blackhawks in the third round in seven games prior to defeating the fifth seed New York Rangers in five games in the Stanley Cup Finals . Kopitar's productivity throughout the 2014 playoffs led to him being
14061-544: The skater's feet from contact with other skaters, sticks, pucks, the boards, and the ice itself. Rigidity also improves the overall manoeuvrability of the skate. Blade length, thickness (width), and curvature (rocker/radius) (front to back) and radius of hollow (across the blade width) are quite different from speed or figure skates. Hockey players usually adjust these parameters based on their skill level, position, and body type. The blade width of most skates are about 1 ⁄ 8 inch (3.2 mm) thick. Each player other than
14190-413: The sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey . Two opposing teams use ice hockey sticks to control, advance, and shoot a vulcanized rubber hockey puck into the other team's net. Each goal is worth one point. The team with the highest score after an hour of playing time is declared the winner; ties are broken in overtime or a shootout . In a formal game, each team has six skaters on
14319-408: The team in scoring in all but two seasons and is second in franchise history in points, fourth in franchise history in goals, and first in franchise history in assists. He scored his 1,000th career point in 2021. Following the 2015–16 season , he was named the Kings' captain. Noted for both his offensive and defensive play, Kopitar was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in
14448-409: The team in scoring. Kopitar returned to form in the 2017–18 season scoring a career-high 35 goals and 57 assists for 92 points in all 82 games played, helping the Kings get back to the playoffs. He scored his fourth career hat-trick with four goals on 22 March 2018, against the Colorado Avalanche . After the season, Kopitar was a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy (as the regular season MVP) for
14577-407: The team on which the penalty was called cannot control the puck without stopping play, it is impossible for them to score a goal. In these cases, the team in possession of the puck can pull the goalie for an extra attacker without fear of being scored on. It is possible for the controlling team to mishandle the puck into their own net. If a delayed penalty is signalled and the team in possession scores,
14706-399: The two. Defensive skills involve pass interception , shot blocking , and stick checking (in which an attempt to take away the puck or cut off the puck lane is initiated by the stick of the defensive player). Tactical points of emphasis in ice hockey defensive play are concepts like "managing gaps" (gap control), "boxing out"' (not letting the offensive team go on the inside), and "staying on
14835-498: The victimized player. This is usually when blood is drawn during high sticking. Players may be also assessed personal extended penalties or game expulsions for misconduct in addition to the penalty or penalties their team must serve. The team that has been given a penalty is said to be playing short-handed while the opposing team is on a power play . A two-minute minor penalty is often charged for lesser infractions such as tripping , elbowing , roughing , high-sticking , delay of
14964-514: Was "the most recognised Slovenian sportsman." As a youth, he played in the 2000 and 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a team from Slovenia. He also hosts an annual charity golf tournament that benefits various groups, mainly youths. Kopitar lived with his parents until moving to Sweden, where he lived alone in an apartment. After his first season in the NHL, the rest of Kopitar's family joined him in Los Angeles; Kopitar bought
15093-566: Was 13 at the 2001 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Vuokatti , Finland). 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. At 17, prior to
15222-409: Was a finalist for the Selke Trophy again (although it was eventually given to Patrice Bergeron again), and also for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy , awarded for sportsmanship (which was eventually awarded Jiri Hudler of the Calgary Flames . 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
15351-578: Was delayed due to the 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 the NHL lockout ended in January 2013. A shortened, 48-game NHL season commenced, Kopitar recorded 10 goals, and 32 assists for 42 points in 47 games to once again lead
15480-449: Was determined by a weighted lottery . In the second round this order was reversed, so the team with the 30th pick would also receive the 31st pick, whilst the team with first overall pick would not pick again until the 60th pick (last pick in the second round). The order would continue alternating in each subsequent round, producing a 'snaking' order. Teams were permitted to trade their draft picks as usual, which led to some modifications to
15609-444: Was eventually awarded to Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins . In the 2014 playoffs , Kopitar led the entire league in scoring, recording five goals and 21 assists for 26 points in all 26 games, as the Kings won their second Stanley Cup championship in three seasons and second in franchise history altogether after they defeated the third-seeded San Jose Sharks in seven games in the first round (after initially trailing 3–0 earlier in
15738-580: Was instead held at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa , Ontario . The Senators were compensated by hosting the 2008 draft instead. As a result of the rearrangement, the draft was not open to the public, for the first time since 1980. Nor was it possible for large numbers of drafted players to attend: only the twenty highest prospects on the NHL Central Scouting rankings were present. The order of draft picks
15867-449: Was named the team's most valuable player for the second time while the Kings as a team finished the season as the seventh seed in the Western Conference. In Kopitar's absence, the Kings would go on to lose in the opening round of the 2011 playoffs in six games to the second-seeded San Jose Sharks . In the 2011–12 season , Kopitar led the Kings in scoring with 76 points, (25 goals and a career-best 51 assists) in all 82 games played. After
15996-436: Was not until organizers began to officially remove body checking from female ice hockey beginning in the mid-1980s that it began to gain greater popularity, which by then had spread to Europe and a variety of other countries. The first IIHF Women's World Championship was held in 1990, and women's play was introduced into the Olympics in 1998 . Ice hockey is believed to have evolved from simple stick and ball games played in
16125-452: Was once again relegated. 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
16254-562: Was originally scheduled to be held on June 25, hosted by the Ottawa Senators at the Corel Centre (their home rink). However, the 2004–05 NHL lockout was still ongoing, causing the draft to be postponed. The lockout ended on July 22 with the approval of a new NHL collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The CBA set the new date of the draft as July 30. The Corel Centre was still available but could not be used on such short notice. The draft
16383-492: Was second in goals. Kopitar won the Bill Libby Memorial Award as the most valuable player on the Kings. Early in the 2008–09 season , on 11 October 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 27 goals and 39 assists for 66 points in all 82 games, leading
16512-778: 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 Western Hockey League (WHL). At 18 years of age, he declined to move to North America, however, hoping to further his development by continuing to play against professionals in the Elitserien, rather than against major junior players in the WHL. Kopitar signed an entry-level contract with
16641-404: Was usually determined by team performance in the previous season, with teams picking in the same order in each round (modified by any trading of draft picks). However, the lockout had led to the complete cancellation of the 2004–05 NHL season , so there were no final positions to base the draft order on. The new CBA modified the draft procedures accordingly. The order of picks in the first round
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