Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar announced Thursday he will retire at the end of the upcoming 2025-26 season, which will be his 20th with the team.
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A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings, Kopitar could become the team's all-time scoring leader this season, overtaking Marcel Dionne's 1,307. Kopitar sits at 1,278 entering the season.
Speaking to reporters Thursday afternoon, the 38-year-old Kopitar said he was stepping away from the game to spend time with his wife and his children, who are about to become teenagers.
"They deserve a husband and a dad to be home and present," he said.
He added that he wanted to announce his retirement plans early to avoid being a distraction to the team during the season.
"A simple way to put it is I want to get this out of the way now to where I'm not a distraction for the team," he said. "For example if we're in a fight coming down the stretch the last thing I want to do is take any, you know, attention away from the team."
The Kings regular season begins Oct. 7.
Kopitar's announcement came hours after another major L.A. sports figures -- the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw -- announced that he will retire at the end of the current season.
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