Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar has been named the team's nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy, and it shouldn't surprise anyone to see his name representing the franchise for an award that resembles perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication.
Each NHL team has had a player revealed as a nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy, and it comes as a shock to no one that the Los Angeles Kings' representative is Anze Kopitar.
The Bill Masterton Trophy is awarded "to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey." The Professional Hockey Writers' Association votes on who should win this award.
Not only has Kopitar shown those qualities throughout his career, but this season is particularly appropriate.
The Kings' captain is in his final NHL season, announcing before the season that this will be his last year in the NHL before retirement.
He's shown his dedication to hockey in so many ways, but what could make Kopitar a finalist for this award is how long he's played in the NHL and that he's about to tie a bow on what has been an incredible career.
This is Kopitar's 20th season in the NHL - two decades of lacing up his skates for Los Angeles. In that span, he's cemented himself as arguably the best King to ever play the game, and the stats speak for themselves.
He leads the franchise in games and seasons played, has the most assists in Kings history, and earlier this season, Kopitar became the franchise's all-time leading scorer.
On March 14, Kopitar scored a pair of goals against the New Jersey Devils, which saw him surpass Marcel Dionne on the Kings' all-time scoring list.
In addition to Kopitar's talents and all the accolades he's collected in his career, there is another aspect to him as a leader and athlete that also ties into his dedication to hockey.
Though the 38-year-old has dealt with a couple of knocks and injuries that forced him to miss 15 games this season, his ability to remain healthy and available for the Kings throughout his career has been impressive.
Before this 2025-26 campaign, Kopitar went on an eight-year stretch of only missing a total of four regular-season contests.
Along with the two Stanley Cups, two Selke Trophies, three Lady Byng Trophies, 1,516 games played and 1,314 points scored, Kopitar has certainly exemplified perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey and the NHL.
Only three Kings have ever won the Bill Masterton Trophy. Butch Goring in 1978, Bob Bourne in 1988 and the latest winner was Dave Taylor in 1991.
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