Anze Kopitar wins NHL's Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for second time
Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar is the winner of the 2025 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player who best combines sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct, and high playing ability, as announced by the NHL on Thursday.
Kopitar beat out fellow finalists Jack Eichel of Vegas and Brayden Point of Tampa Bay to win his second Lady Byng. He also won the award in 2016, and joins Wayne Gretzky as the only Kings to win the award multiple times.
Advertisement
The 37-year-old had another excellent season in Los Angeles, leading the Kings with 46 assists and finishing second behind only Adrian Kempe with 67 points. It was the 16th time in 19 NHL seasons that Kopitar eclipsed the 60-point threshold.
He was a major contributor for the Kings at even strength as well as both special teams, but was called for only two penalties throughout the entire season. His four penalty minutes are tied for his fewest in a season. He didn't visit the penalty box until Jan. 1, 37 games into the campaign.
Kopitar also has two Selke trophies (2016 and 2018) and a Mark Messier Leadership award (2022).
The NHL is expected to announce the winners of other major awards on Thursday night, including the Hart Trophy and the Vezina Trophy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Knicks set to interview Taylor Jenkins, Mike Brown as head coach search kicks into gear
The Knicks are moving on to coaching candidates they don't require permission to interview from their existing teams. After being rebuffed in efforts to speak with current Mavericks coach Jason Kidd and multiple other potential targets, the Knicks will interview former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and former Kings coach Mike Brown, a source confirmed Friday night to The Post. Those meetings are expected to take place at some point next week, The Athletic reported. Advertisement Team president Leon Rose's coaching search has mostly stalled since Tom Thibodeau was fired on June 3, three days after the Knicks were knocked out in six games by the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals. Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins watches his team play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images In addition to Kidd, the Knicks also were denied in their requests to speak with Houston's Ime Udoka, Minnesota's Chris Finch, Atlanta's Quin Snyder and Chicago's Billy Donovan, according to various reports. Many believe the Knicks plan to circle back eventually on the 52-year-old Kidd, who has two years remaining on his contract, but ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Friday that the Mavericks 'are not interested in further negotiations at all. 'Don't even call back,' is the message that they wanted out there.' Advertisement A source told The Post last week that the Knicks and the Hall of Fame point guard had 'mutual intrigue' in a potential move. Former Denver coach Mike Malone, who won an NBA title with the Nuggets in 2023, is also available after getting fired late in the regular season. The Post also has reported that former Villanova coach Jay Wright is not interested in the position despite the presence of former Wildcat stars Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges on the roster. Advertisement Former Kings head coach Mike Brown is set to interview with the Knicks. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post The 40-year-old Jenkins posted a 250-214 mark during six seasons in Memphis, but the Grizzlies only won one playoff series over that span. He was canned with nine games remaining in the regular season, and the Grizzlies were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Thunder after advancing through the play-in tournament. Advertisement The 55-year-old Brown was fired by Sacrmento in December season after leading the Kings to back-to-back 45-win campaigns the previouys two years. He sports a career record of 454-304 in 11 seasons fronting the Cavaliers, Lakers and Kings, including a trip to the NBA Finals with Cleveland in 2006-07.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Judge hears closing arguments in ice hockey sexual assault trial
Closing arguments have concluded in the trial of five Canadian ice hockey players accused of sexually assaulting a woman, with both sides offering competing stories on what had unfolded on the evening of the alleged assault. The accused men, all former players for Canada's world junior hockey team, have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Their fate now rests with a judge. Their lawyers argued that the woman consented to engaging in sexual acts with the players at a hotel room in London, Ontario, in 2018, while attending a hockey gala. The woman testified that she had consensual sex with one player that night, but did not agree to sexual acts with the others who had entered the hotel room. The accused are Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton and Carter Hart. All were professional players with the National Hockey League (NHL) when the assault allegations emerged. The woman is known as EM due to a publication ban on her name. She was 20 years old at the time of the incident. She testified that she had met Mr McLeod at a bar in June 2018, where he and other players were celebrating after the gala. In her testimony, she told the court that she had agreed to go to Mr McLeod's hotel room and they had consensual sex. Crown lawyer Meaghan Cunningham argued that the woman was later put in a "highly stressful and unpredictable" situation after Mr McLeod invited other players by text message to the room for a "three-way". She feared for her safety, the lawyer said, and felt pressured to perform sexual acts to protect herself, including having sex with one player and oral sex with three others. Over days of testimony, EM said that she went on "auto-pilot" mode as the men demanded sex acts from her. Ms Cunningham referenced a video shot by Mr McLeod at the end of the night of the woman, where he can be heard asking her "You're OK with this, though, right?" and she responds: "I'm OK with this." She argued that the way the question is framed suggests EM had not agreed to what had just transpired. "I want to ask Your Honour to think carefully about those words and what they tell us about what was happening at that point in time," Ms Cunningham told Justice Maria Carroccia. Defence lawyers told the court a different story, focusing on her credibility and reliability as a witness. They argued it was EM who was the instigator and demanded sex acts from the men in the room. Defence lawyers also argued her actions that night made them believe she was consenting and zeroed in on one part of her testimony, where she said she had adopted a "porn star persona" as a coping mechanism during the incident. They said that the Crown had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the woman did not consent. "This alone warrants an acquittal against all of these defendants," said lawyer Lisa Carnelos, who represented Mr Dubé. The closing arguments mark the end of the month-and-a-half long trial, which featured a declaration of a mistrial early on and the dismissal of the jury mid-way through. The verdict will be decided by Justice Carroccia alone. It is scheduled to be delivered on 24 July. A sex assault scandal disgraces Canada's pastime Mistrial declared in Canadian hockey assault case Four NHL players charged over 2018 sexual assault
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Boko is back! Penguins sign Imama & acquired prospect Fernstrom
This article originally appeared on Boko Imama will return to the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, eventually. The team announced on Friday that they signed Imama to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000 at the NHL level. Imama split this season between the NHL and AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He played 16 NHL games, scoring one goal and two fights. Advertisement Imama, 28, played 40 games with the WBS Penguins, scoring three goals with five points. The Penguins also signed Melvin Fernstrom. The Penguisn January trade with the Vancouver Canucks yielded the New York Rangers' first-round pick in either 2025 or 2026, but also Swedish prospect Melvin Fernstrom. Fernstrom, 19, split this season with Örebro HK of the Swedish Elite League and Sweden's U20 national team. In 48 games with Örebro HK, he scored eight goals, nine assists, and 17 points, all of which ranked first among league rookies. He was named the 2025 SHL Rookie of the Year. Click here to read more from Advertisement Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
