Slovenian ice hockey icon Anže Kopitar is set to receive one of the highest honours in the history of the Los Angeles Kings, with the franchise announcing that his No. 11 jersey will be retired and a bronze statue of the former captain unveiled next year. The ceremony will take place on 24 February 2027 at Crypto.com Arena, before the Kings face the Montreal Canadiens in a regular-season NHL game.
Kopitar will become just the eighth player in franchise history to have his number permanently retired, joining legends including Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne, Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake. The Slovenian spent his entire 21-year NHL career with Los Angeles, becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in games played, assists and points. He appeared in 1,521 games, recording 864 assists and 1,316 points.
His career also includes two Stanley Cup titles, won with the Kings in 2012 and 2014. Kopitar became the first Slovenian to play in the NHL and served as Los Angeles captain from 2016 until his retirement in 2026. The statue outside the arena will be only the fourth statue dedicated to a Kings player, following those of Gretzky, Robitaille and Dustin Brown.
Kopitar said this is an incredible honour, reflecting on his career and thanking his teammates, coaches, staff, supporters and, above all, his family. Kings president Luc Robitaille said Kopitar had “defined what it means to be a Los Angeles King” for two decades, praising his leadership, consistency and commitment both on and off the ice.
The recognition is particularly remarkable for Slovenian sport. Kopitar’s career transformed him from a talented player from a small Alpine country into one of the most respected figures in American hockey, while helping put Slovenia on the global ice hockey map.
With his jersey soon to hang permanently in the rafters and his statue outside the arena, Kopitar’s legacy in Los Angeles will now be quite literally part of the city’s sporting landscape.
