Anze Kopitar named Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner for third time in his career

As announced this morning by the NHL, Kings captain Anze Kopitar has been selected as the winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, the third time in his career he’s won the award.

Kopitar was surprised by his family with the trophy in his native Slovenia, as his daughter Neža and his son Jakob presented him with the trophy during a family round of golf.

And the "Nicest NHL Player" award goes to… 🏆

Anze Kopitar's kids surprised him with his third Lady Byng Memorial Trophy during a day of family golf in Slovenia. 🥹

Catch the 2025 #NHLAwards before Game 4 of the #StanleyCup Final TONIGHT at 6p ET on @NHL_On_TNT and… pic.twitter.com/yoLqTKXgdk

— NHL (@NHL) June 12, 2025

“To me, it just means being so called a gentleman,” Kopitar said. “Hockey is a physical sport, but within those perimeters, I think there’s room for a gentleman, a good guy, having respect towards your peers, towards the officials, just carrying yourself in a way where kids look at you, what you do on the ice and this exemplifies that it’s doable. I’m honored to have won it three times now and it means a great deal to me.”

Kopitar previously won the award during the 2015-16 and 2022-23 seasons and in doing so again here today, he became the tenth player in NHL history to win the Lady Byng on three separate occasions. Each of the other nine players to win the award three times have already been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, with Kopitar certain to join that club down the road once his playing career eventually comes to an end.

The Slovenia native is also the second player to win the trophy three times as a member of the Kings organization, joining Wayne Gretzky, who won the award in the 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1993-94 seasons with Los Angeles. In total, this is the eighth time in franchise history that a member of the Kings has won the Lady Byng, with Marcel Dionne and Butch Goring each being honored once, in addition to the three times each for Kopitar and Gretzky. Among non-Original Six clubs, no other franchise has had a player win the award more regularly than the Kings.

Among active players, Kopitar is the only player to win the Lady Byng three times and is joined only by Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin – last season’s winner – as active players to win the award on multiple occasions.

For Kopitar, this award comes down to respect. There are few players around the NHL that carry more respect than Kopitar does. Pretty easy to see that on the ice with how he is treated by opponents. He had just the four penalty minutes and it one of the most composed leaders and players in the NHL. The award is voted on by members of the media, so it’s clear that others see it too. The low penalty minute total certainly doesn’t hurt but the respect factor typically shines through on a trophy like this one. Kopitar has that in spades, from his teammates, his opponents and so many more throughout the hockey community.

From the team’s official release –

The NHL announced today that Kings captain Anze Kopitar has been selected as the winner of the 2024-25 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, given annually to “the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability” as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA).

Kopitar was named on 132 of the 191 ballots and received 50 first-place votes for 856 voting points, finishing ahead of finalists Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning (793 points) and Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights (782 points) in a poll conducted by the PHWA at the end of the regular season.

This marks the third Lady Byng Trophy for Kopitar after also winning in 2016 and 2023, and voted a finalist in 2015. The captain is the 10th player in NHL history to receive the honor three or more times and the second Kings player to accomplish such feat in franchise history behind Wayne Gretzky (1991, 1992, 1994).

Kopitar capped off the 2024-25 campaign, his record-setting 19th season, with 21 goals and a team-leading 46 assists for 67 points (21-46=67) in 81 games. It marked the 16th time in his career Kopitar has finished as the Kings’ leader in assists and 17th finishing top-two in team scoring (Adrian Kempe; 35-38=73 in 2024-25). Overall, the 37-year-old veteran led all team forwards in faceoff win percentage (57.2%), game-winning goals (7) and shooting percentage (21.4%); ranked second in time-on-ice (TOI) per game (18:57), points (67), points-per-game (0.83), power-play points (22); and tied for third in even-strength points (44). He tied his career-low in penalty minutes (PIM) with four, the fewest among any player in the league to skate in at least 80 games this season.

Among the 35 NHL skaters this season to play in at least 80 games and average more than 0.80 points-per-game, the Jesenice, Slovenia native was one of two players to register more than 65 points while also serving 10-or-fewer penalty minutes (Nick Suzuki, 89 PTS in 82 GP w/ 8 PIM). Kopitar is one of eight different skaters in NHL history to play in at least 80 games in a season while accumulating four or less PIM and only the second to do so multiple times behind Ryan O’Reilly (2x, 2013-14, 2017-18).

The captain joins Butch Goring as the second player in Kings history to appear in 60 games and record four or less penalty minutes in multiple campaigns. Overall, Kopitar is one of four skaters to accomplish such feat in a single season: Butch Goring (2 PIM in 70 GP, 1973-74; 2 PIM in 67 GP, 1972-73; 2 PIM in 74 GP, 1971-72), Jimmy Peters (0 PIM in 77 GP; 1972-73) and Lucien Grenier (4 PIM in 60 GP; 1971-72). Since the league expanded to an 82-game regular-season schedule in 1995-96, Kopitar’s 12 seasons playing in at least 80 contests are the most among any Kings skater.

Kopitar is currently riding a 93-game streak of serving no more than one minor penalty in a regular-season game, dating back to March 23, 2024. Over his career, Kopitar has established four different streaks of at least 130 games in length serving no more than one minor penalty with his longest being a 315-game run from Jan. 4, 2020 – March 19, 2024.