A door opened suddenly and Anze Kopitar emerged from one of a dozen or so auxiliary locker rooms along a dimly-lit corridor in the basement of the United Center in Chicago. Two reporters waited for him, far from the maddening crowd in the Kings’ locker room.
The question-and-answer session Tuesday was brief, to the point, and Kopitar was grateful for a rare chance to talk in a casual setting. He spoke of the lack of recognition of his play in some quarters around the NHL and what he must do better to lead the Kings in the Western Conference finals.
Kopitar is a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward, joining Chicago Blackhawks counterpart Jonathan Toews and Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins. Toews and Bergeron are regarded as the favorites, with Kopitar the underdog candidate.
The award has traditionally been awarded to players from the Eastern Conference, with Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks the only player in the history of the Selke to win it while playing for a team west of the Rocky Mountains.
Kopitar was the leading scorer in the playoffs, recording 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 15 games going into Game 2 on Wednesday. Toews was ninth with 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 13 games. Kopitar shrugged off the recognition gap, especially when it comes to Toews, however.
“I think to get the recognition you want or you need or whatever the case may be, you’ve got to win in this league,” Kopitar said. “His recognition is well deserved. He’s won (a Stanley Cup title) twice already. I’ve won once. To do it, you’ve got to do it on the big stage.
“I don’t think there’s a bigger stage than the conference stage, than in the conference finals, in our case. It’s a nice accomplishment to come to the (conference) finals. I’m not focused on that really. It’s hard to talk about it. At this time of year the focus is really on the next game.”
Kopitar also didn’t wish to address his chances to become the first Kings player to win the Selke, which has been awarded in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association since 1978. Bob Gainey of the Montreal Canadiens was the first winner.
“Now, I’m thinking for (Game 2) just try to get a win,” Kopitar said. “It’s a tough building, but we came here to take care of business. We’re going to have to be better (Wednesday) and throughout this whole series to win.”
Asked about what he needed to do in order to raise the level of his own play, he added, “Maybe attacking more through the middle of the ice. Sometimes I get drifting to the sides a little bit too much. Just be aggressive down the middle and taking care of the puck.”
