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Kings’ Anze Kopitar drops truth bomb on ‘bittersweet’ final NHL game
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- Kings’ Anze Kopitar drops truth bomb on ‘bittersweet’ final NHL game
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Kings' Anze Kopitar drops truth bomb on 'bittersweet' final NHL game appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Los Angeles Kings ' season came to an end on Sunday, as the Colorado Avalanche swept the Kings out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With the loss, the career of Anze Kopitar has come to an end .
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After the game, Kopitar spoke about the bittersweet feeling of his final NHL game, per Tracey Myers of NHL.com.
"It hit me about, what, five, six minutes to go that this could be it, and for the last 20 years I've never experienced that emotion. (It) was, 'There's always a next year, there's always a next year.' Now it's done. It's hard to comprehend. At the same time, these are the two reasons I'm really going to enjoy next year, too," Kopitar said as he was flanked by his two children.
"It's very bittersweet, for sure. There are going to be some tears, yes, but that's the way the life goes, right? It's a circle. It's been one (heck) of a ride for 20 years. As I said before, the good, the bad and the ugly. Not the way we wanted to go out, but it happened and we have to live with it."
Kopitar, who is 38 years old, has been with the Kings franchise since breaking into the league in the 2006-07 campaign. He played 1,521 games in the regular season and another 107 in the playoffs with the club, lifting the Stanley Cup twice.
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Now, he gets to focus on his family. Kopitar married his wife, Ines Dominic, in 2013. They welcomed their first child, a daughter named Neza, in 2015, and a son, Jakob, in 2016.
"It's been 11 years, nine years with so-called part-time dad. Now they get him full time," Kopitar said with a smile.
As his career comes to an end, the media asked the long-time captain how he wants to be remembered.
"As a good teammate," he said. "A good teammate and I guess a two-time Stanley Cup champion. That works."
As the Kings season is over, the Avalanche move on, waiting for the winner of the series between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild.
Related: Avalanche's Cale Makar shares 'stingy' praise for Kings after 1st-round sweep
