Anže Kopitar: »Fair-play has been a big part of my personality throughout my career«

He enjoys spending his summers in Slovenia. Traditionally, he starts his summer holidays in Slovenia with the Hockey Academy in Bled, Slovenia, which he organises together with former hockey player Tomaž Razingar. Every year, for the last eight years, the Academy has attracted many young hockey players from all over the world to Bled. In addition to gaining new knowledge, the young people also enjoy the many activities offered by this Slovenian pearl.

"The Hockey Academy is aimed at girls and boys from five to 20 years old and is a kind of hockey party. Twice a day, the youngsters are on the ice, but Bled and its surroundings also offer a lot of additional activities – from sledging at Straža, swimming in the lake, to activities at the castle...", says Tomaž Razingar, former captain of the Slovenian national hockey team and now assistant selector. He considers it a great privilege that he and Anže managed to create such a camp.

So far, they have hosted participants from 19 countries, and the whole organisation is backed by many dedicated and professional coaches and, of course, facilitators who take care of the leisure activities.

"For Anže and I, it's also a kind of fun, because with the help of the young and curious hockey players, we also get to go back to our beginnings."

Tomaž Razingar made the most appearances for the Slovenian national hockey team, as many as 212. Among them, he played in several World Championships and the 2014 Sochi Olympics. "I am proud to have played for the Slovenian national team. Playing for the national team is a privilege. Not everyone has this opportunity. It's a great honour," says Tomaž Razingar, who now works for the Slovenian national team as an assistant to selector Matjaz Kopitar.

Did Anže Kopitar imagine he would have such a career?

"It was hard to imagine, but it was definitely a dream," says Anže, who moved to Sweden when he was 16, with a smile on his face. "Leaving home was a really difficult step. But I knew what I wanted."

Anže Kopitar took his first hockey steps at home, in Hrušica in Gorenjska, on the south side of the Karavanke Mountains. His father and grandfather made an ice rink behind the house, where young Anže had excellent conditions for training, and his first coach was his father Matjaž Kopitar, a former great hockey player and today the Slovenian national team's selector.

"The beginnings were not difficult, especially in such conditions, and the memories are really good. From the very beginning I wanted to play hockey. Maybe I never imagined that I could play at the level I play today. But hockey was and still is my great love and that will not change. Playing at this level is just an added bonus," recalls Anže Kopitar. That's why he is aware of how much it means to young hockey players that he passes on his knowledge and experience to them.

He has played his entire NHL career for Los Angeles, where he is the second best passer, third in scoring and fourth in goals. He has collected an incredible 1218 points in the NHL.

The Slovenian hockey star is also this year's recipient of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, presented by the North American NHL League Press Association. The award is given to the player who best exemplifies sportsmanship and gentlemanly behaviour alongside a high level of hockey play.

Mr Fair-Play

"The Fair-Play Award runs neatly parallel to my career. I think fair-play has been a big part of my personality throughout my career. It's nice to receive the award and I'm very honoured," said Anže Kopitar, who received the award for the second time (the first time in 2016).

He and his family return to Slovenia every year. "Slovenia is and always will be my home. We are happy to come home so that I can rest first. We enjoy the nature here and we all recharge our batteries for the new season, the new school year and a few months in America," says Anže, who is staying in Los Angeles for another two years.