Anze Kopitar’s Number Retired, Statue Unveiled by Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings announced that former captain Anze Kopitar’s No. 11 jersey will be retired and a bronze statue of him will be unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena on February 24 2027, before the team’s home game against the Montreal Canadiens. Kopitar, a Slovenian who spent his entire 20‑season NHL career with the Kings, holds franchise records for games played (1,521), assists (864) and points (1,316). He helped the club win two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014 and earned two Selke Trophies, three Lady Byng Trophies and the Mark Messier Leadership Award.

The ceremony will make Kopitar the eighth Kings player to have his jersey retired, joining Rogie Vachon, Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor, Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, Rob Blake and Dustin Brown. His statue will be the fourth dedicated to a Kings figure outside the arena, joining statues of Gretzky, Robitaille and Brown. Kopitar said the honor was “incredible” and “hard to put into words,” while Kings president Luc Robitaille praised his two‑decade impact on and off the ice.