Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar is the winner of the Lady Byng Trophy, given annually to the NHL player who displays the most gentlemanly conduct.
He heard the news on a family vacation in Slovenia while playing a round of golf with his father. After nine holes, daughter Neza and son Jakob let him know he was the recipient of his third Lady Byng.
“You won the award for the nicest NHL player,” Neza said.
In 81 regular-season games in the 2024-25 season, Kopitar received just two minor penalties. He tallied 67 points (21 goals, 46 assists), then added nine points (two goals, seven assists) in six playoff games.
Kopitar, 37, also won the Lady Byng in the 2015-16 and 2022-23 seasons to become the 10th player to win it at least three times.
“To me, it just means being so-called a gentleman,” the Kings’ captain said. “Hockey is a physical sport but within those parameters, I think there’s obviously room, I guess, (to be) a gentleman, a good guy, having respect toward your peers, toward the officials. Just carry yourself in a way to where kids look at you, young kids look at you, what you do on the ice. I guess this exemplifies that it’s doable and I’m honored to have won it three times now and it means a great deal to me.”
Kopitar is a two-time Stanley Cup winner, and he also won the Selke Trophy as best defensive forward twice (2015-16, 2017-18) and the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award (2021-22).
He finished first in the balloting with 856 points, followed by Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning (793 points), Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights (782), the Carolina Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin (760) and the Montreal Canadians’ Nick Suzukl.
The Kings selected him with the 11th overall pick of the 2005 NHL Draft.
–Field Level Media
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