In Anze We Trust Anze
Kopitar star may be rising in one of the world's biggest
cities, but he'll always be a small town boy at heart.
By Dennis BErnstein | Photography by Gary Livingston
Hailing
from a small village known for its steel mills and
beautiful countryside, Slovenia native Anze Kopitar
didn't exactly enjoy the same benefits of a hockey
program that most future NHLers get in their formative
years. But as we see time and time again, when it's in
your blood, you find a way to make it happen.
"My dad and my granddad made me a little ice surface
right in the backyard and I pushed a chair around on
the ice when I was young," Kopitar recalls. "As soon
as I had the ability to stand up, I got a hockey stick
and I started skating."
From
that tiny backyard pond, the 24-year-old became
first NHL player to hail from the small country
nestled between Italy, Austria, Hungary and
Croatia. Not surprisingly, the history-maker was
already a standout for his early days in
hometown club HK Acroni and the Slovenian
national junior team. Selected in the same class
as Sidney Crosby, the Kings made Kopitar the
eleventh overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry
Draft.
Showing intelligence beyond his years, Kopitar
opted to play two seasons in the Swedish Elite
League before arriving in the City of Angels. By
virtue of a huge training camp prior to the
season, Kopitar showed he was ready for the
primetime and, keeping the pioneering spirit
going, became one of only a handful of players
ever to make the roster without ever playing a
minute in the North American minor league
system.
Of course, it didn't hurt that Kopitar's toolbox
was NHL-level, but as with most youngsters, his
conditioning and defensive play needed work. The
six-foot three-incher worked hard in the weight
room and in the faceoff dot at practice and
within three seasons has become a dangerous
two-way player, a two-time All Star and the
Kings' leading scorer for five consecutive
seasons. His physical play against former Hart
Trophy winner Henrik Sedin was one of the keys
to victory in the team's April upset against the
Canucks, giving the Kings arguably their biggest
playoff upset in franchise history.
But while his tale has all the storybook
hallmarks, it hasn't been all lollipops and
roses. At the end of the 2010-11 season, Kopitar
was checked hard against the board in a late
season game and fell awkwardly to the ice. The
result was a broken ankle; his season ended and
so did the Kings' playoff chances. While a
player with lesser character would have sulked
about his misfortune, Kopitar stayed around his
teammates and when the time came for the
gruelling physical work needed to get back to
the elite level, he was committed. As he started
the season, Kopitar was ready to engage for
battle and the injury was forgotten. "I feel
great," he said in October. "Honestly, they put
a metal plate in my ankle and now it's probably
stronger than it was before."
Kopitar's defiance of the odds has paid off in
his personal life, too. Though he wasn't drafted
by Dean Lombardi, the Kings' current GM
recognized the left-handed shooter as a core
player whose destiny would be tied to team's
success. So when the Jesenice native's
entry-level contract expired, Lombardi stepped
up and awarded him a seven-year, $47.6 million
deal on Oct. 11, 2008 making him the team's
highest paid player.
"Anze is a special
player, but he has also shown a strong work ethic and the type character
we believe is necessary to help shape the core of our team," Lombardi
affirmed at the time.
Though he's now an established star with material wealth beyond anything
he could have imagined, Kopitar remains the same unassuming and
matter-of-fact character he was on Day One. He has a cutting sense of
humour and routinely chirps his linemate and captain Dustin Brown at the
locker next door. Though he rides Brown about everything from never
receiving the puck back from the great passes he delivers to the
American's Olympic Silver (not Gold) medal, the pair enjoys a real and
genuine friendship.
Friendship aside,
Kopitar is aware of the potential sponsorship opportunities of being a
personable guy playing in the second largest media market. Since becoming
one of the faces of the franchise, he's getting more play in national
commercials, like the Verizon campaign he filmed earlier this season. He's
also one of the increasing numbers of players who have taken to social
media to extend their off-ice persona. He has his own Twitter account (@AnzeKopitar
-- but the content nowhere near approaches the legendary Paul Bissonnette)
and his personal website,
www.anzesleven.com, includes biographical
information and fantastic photos of his childhood with his dad Matjaz and
brother Gaspar, who now toils in the USHL.
During
a break from this season's playoff run, Kopitar reflected on the ride to
stardom. "I think every kid's goal is to play in the NHL," he says.
"Coming from Slovenia, I didn't know if that was the target from the
start, I didn't set my goals that high. At home, English is the second
language, so I didn't have a choice about learning it in school. My
grandmother was a teacher, so that definitely helped me. As things
developed and my career took twists and turns, I went to the Swedish Elite
League and then I knew the NHL was in sight. Getting drafted in the first
round was big, my name was out there, so the goal was definitely within my
grasp."
While his arrival on Pacific coast signified a completely new way of life,
the European tendency to travel well and travel frequently made the
transition a little easier. Still, that doesn't mean the bright lights of
Los Angeles didn't trigger a little culture shock.
"I had been to Canada for a Pee-Wee tournament in Quebec, but never been
to the States. The first time you set your foot down at the airport in Los
Angeles, you don't realize how big it is, but my first time here was a
development camp, not a vacation. I saw the rink and the training facility
my first couple of weeks so you can't grab the size of the city and how
spread out things are here. At first, it was easy because I was so busy,
but there was definitely an adjustment period. You learn where highways go
to and you have to find a way to get yourself around."
Now a six-year native of La-La Land, Kopitar has settled into the
comfortable California lifestyle. Like a large majority of his teammates,
he's nestled in the beautiful community of Manhattan Beach -- not far from
the Brown family -- and occasionally offers dog-sitting services. "I love
the South Bay," he readily admits. "It's great. You have everything you
want here."
But unlike so many other high-profile athletes in SoCal, you won't find
this 24-year-old in any of the tabloids. Kopitar is no party animal,
preferring a quiet beach life over the crazy nights in West Hollywood.
"I'd much rather go to dinner with friends than driving 45 minutes and
getting stuck in traffic in Hollywood. That's not me," he states
matter-of-factly.
So while Kopitar may not live the high life in that regard, he's bought
into the Californian lifestyle in another way. Using the spoils of his
labour, Anze decided to make those legendary L.A. traffic jams a little
less painful.
"I've always been an Audi guy," he says. "That was my first car and what
I've been driving around since I got here. I looked at the R8, but I'm a
tall guy; my head was halfway out of the convertible roof. I looked at the
Mercedes sports cars, but I'm pretty happy with my choice."
The gleaming white Maserati that sits in the Kings' training facility is
both an affirmation of his hockey greatness and a microcosm of the divide
between single dues and married men on every NHL franchise.
When asked which player he wouldn't want behind the wheel of his ride,
Kopitar easily replied, "Willie Mitchell. He drives a Prius; I don't think
he would have a clue."
Between his easy banter, his prowess on the ice, and the incredible work
ethic that quickly shot him up the ranks, this legend in the making proves
it's no accident that he's already making history.
During
a break from this season's playoff run, Kopitar reflected on the ride to
stardom. "I think every kid's goal is to play in the NHL," he says.
"Coming from Slovenia, I didn't know if that was the target from the
start, I didn't set my goals that high. At home, English is the second
language, so I didn't have a choice about learning it in school. My
grandmother was a teacher, so that definitely helped me. As things
developed and my career took twists and turns, I went to the Swedish Elite
League and then I knew the NHL was in sight. Getting drafted in the first
round was big, my name was out there, so the goal was definitely within my
grasp."
