Anze Kopitar selected as winner of 2023 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

Awards Show, Insiders!

I’ve been reading your comments, analyzing the 4,000+ posts on the last article and I have determined that this is the exact story you’ve all been waiting for. I am sure the confusion comes down to thinking the show was earlier in the day.

So, with that in mind, the NHL Awards are back in person this season for the first time in a few years. The LA Kings have one nominee this evening, forward Anze Kopitar, who was selected as the winner of the 2023 Lady Byng Trophy, the second time in his career he has won that award. Kopitar was not in attendance tonight in Nashville but nonetheless took home his second career victory on his third career nomination.

Kopitar received a league-leading 77 first-place votes and was named on 162 submitted ballots. 127 of those ballots had him listed in the top three. Kopitar’s 1175 points placed him above New Jersey’s Jack Hughes, who finished second with 934.

As the league states, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is awarded “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” The award was voted upon by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. With just four penalty minutes all season long, despite playing heavy and difficult minutes, excellent leadership and character well-respected around the NHL, Kopitar made for an obvious choice this season.

Kopitar’s win was the seventh all-time by a Kings player, as he became the second player in Kings history to win the award multiple times. Wayne Gretzky received five nominations during his time with the organization, winning the trophy on three occasions, most recently in the 1993-94 season. Forward Marcel Dionne was a three-time finalist and a one-time winner, while forward Butch Goring was a two-time nominee and a one-time winner. Kopitar is now a two-time winner of the award, another honor in his Hall of Fame career.

Anze Kopitar on Lady Byng Win
First and foremost, congratulations to Jack and Brayden for being nominated. Very well deserved and I’m sure you guys will win a bunch of these in the future. Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Anschutz, they’re commitment to our team is astronomical and they always try to make us better. The organization, from top to bottom, starting with Luc and Rob and the coaches, the staff that put in the work every day. This also cannot happen without my teammates, I love you guys and thank you for all of your support. Last but not least, my family. My grandparents, my parents and most importantly my wife and my two little kiddos, thank you for your support, always giving me the positive energy and attitude, day in and day out. I couldn’t have done it without you, I love you guys.

Todd McLellan on Kopitar’s Candidacy
I think the definition of the award itself is how it’s voted on. You’ve got to have an impact on the game, a positive impact on the game, night-after-night, and you do it very hard, very competitive, but you don’t find yourself in the penalty box, you don’t find yourself hurting your team that way. That’s the definition of the award, at least how I understand it, and he does that night after night. He’s very smart and very good positionally. He uses his big body well, so he doesn’t have to reach and hold and hook. He’s very experienced in that area of the game.

Kopitar also garnered several votes for the Selke Trophy, though he fell just short of being selected as a finalist. Kopitar received two first-place votes, was selected on 96 total ballots and finished with 428 points in the voting, just 52 points short of third place, which would have merited finalist status. Kopitar was actually on more ballots 1-2 than Mitchell Marner, who finished third, but fewer ballots overall. Center Phillip Danault also received a fourth-place vote for the Selke, one of 40 players in total to receive a vote. On the Norris front, Drew Doughty was back on the ballot, as he received a fifth-place vote, one of 19 defenseman to total at least a vote. Kings Head Coach Todd McLellan received two votes for the Jack Adams Award, a second-place vote and a third-place vote. McLellan tied for tenth overall in points.

Mikey Anderson and Pheonix Copley were previously named as team-winners of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy respectively. Neither player was selected as one of the three finalists for the overall awards handed out this evening in Nashville, but a nice recognition for their respective contributions this season.

That's two-time Lady Byng Award Winner Anze Kopitar to you. 👑#NHLAwards | @LAKings pic.twitter.com/NbKK0L2XxP

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 27, 2023