Anze Kopitar abandons his team at critical moment for Olympics qualification

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Graham Montgomery
August 17, 2024 (9:15 PM)

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Slovenia will be without their best ever hockey player this year as the country attempts to qualify for the 2026 winter Olympics.

It is a tough day for Slovenian sports fans as their single most famous hockey player the country has ever produced will not be representing the country at the upcoming Olympic qualifiers against France and Ukraine.

Rough spot for Slovenia 🇸🇮 - as Anze Kopitar 🇸🇮 will not play for his nation in the final round of the 2026 Olympic Qualifiers later this month, leaving the national team without an NHLer.

Slovenia is in a group with Latvia 🇱🇻, France 🇫🇷, and Ukraine 🇺🇦, as each team will play each other once, and the top team in the group will clinch a spot at the 2026 Olympics.

Unfortunately for Slovenia, the timing of the qualifying round simply makes it difficult for NHL players to represent their home countries. After all, the NHL season will be right around the corner, and by the time these qualifiers are happening, most players will be training with their NHL clubs. For this reason many other NHLers, including Marco Rossi, will not be helping their countrymen qualify for the Olympic games. However, this is a bit of a case-by-case basis, as many NHLers, including Freddy Andersen, will be participating.

It is a real shame for Slovenia as Kopitar has aged like a fine wine. Despite being well into his 30s, he continues to be a terrific all-around hockey player. Last season he found the back of the net 26 times and added 44 helpers for 70 points in 81 games. While he has started to take on a slightly smaller role with the Kings in terms of ice-time per game, he continues to be a driving force for the team and is expected to continue that trend next season even at the age of 37 as his birthday is later this month.

In total, Kopitar has 419 career NHL goals and 1211 points in 1373 games. He's won two Stanley Cups, two Selke trophies, two Lady Byngs, and a Mark Messier leadership award to boot. He is a certified Kings legend and will very likely be heading to the Hockey Hall of Fame once his career is over.

Source: HockeyReference
Anze Kopitar Career Statistics