LA Kings: Fraser, Westgarth Reflect on Anze Kopitar’s 1000-Point Feat

In celebration of Anze Kopitar’s milestone, former LA Kings teammates reflect on the achievement and how deserving No. 11 is of it.

On Wednesday night, Anze Kopitar joined an exclusive club when he notched his 1,000th-career point. With the feat, the LA Kings captain becomes the 91st in NHL history and just the fourth in franchise history to reach the historic plateau.

In response to said plateau, I spoke with a number of Kopitar’s former teammates about the accomplishments. As expected, there was nothing but positive things said about the 33-year-old.

“Anze is one of the most underrated players in the league,” said Colin Fraser, who was Kopitar’s teammate from 2011 to 2014.

“Consistently and quietly goes about his business year after year,” added the Sicamous, B.C., native. “His 200-foot game is at or near the top of the league consistently and he is more focused on winning and playing the right way with and for his teammates than he is about how many points he gets.”

Kevin Westgarth, a former Kings enforcer and fan-favorite called Kopitar a teammate from 2008 to 2012. Even more, he calls the Kings’ captain a friend, glowing about his latest accomplishment but about the player, and the man, overall.

“I’m very happy to see him hit this milestone and can’t wait to see what’s next,” Westgarth beamed. “Kopi is the full package: Big player who uses his body so well, great shot, great vision.”

For the former tough guy, though, it’s what Kopitar brought — and still brings — off the ice that really stood out.

“What really differentiates him is his consistency and professionalism,” Westgarth noted. “Year over year, the numbers may go up and down a bit, but everyone in that room knows that Kopi is coming to the rink ready to play. Awesome leader, great guy.”

Like Westgarth, who won a Stanley Cup with Kopitar in 2012, Fraser can also call the Slovenian a championship teammate, having won hockey’s Holiest prize, also in 2012 and again in 2014, with Kopitar and the Kings. Also like Westgarth, though, Fraser has nothing but kind words for the newest member of the 1000-point club.

“He is one of the best and most unselfish teammates I have ever had,” Fraser emphasized of Kopitar. “A true professional and even better person.”

Even those who haven’t been his teammate for years, Anze Kopitar continues to resonate with those he has played with.

From his talent and passion as a competitor to his attitude and demeanor as a person, Anze Kopitar will — assuming he hasn’t already — go down as one of the greatest players to ever play the game, no matter how underrated he may be.

Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille may have each played a significant role in popularizing the sport of hockey in Los Angeles and in California as a whole, but such a conversation would be, frankly, incomplete without adding Anze Kopitar’s name to it.

Here’s to a thousand points for Mr. Kopitar, and many more to come.