The Draft That Could Have Changed Everything for the Canadiens
This Saturday night in Los Angeles, Montreal hockey fans will witness a poignant moment: the final time Anze Kopitar faces the team that might have drafted him. The legendary Los Angeles Kings center is retiring after this season, closing a chapter on a career that has sparked endless "what if" scenarios for the Canadiens faithful.
The 2005 Draft Decision
In the 2005 NHL Draft, then-Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey made a franchise-defining choice. With the fifth overall pick, Montreal selected goaltender Carey Price, passing on the Slovenian center who wouldn't be taken until the 11th pick by the Kings. This decision set both organizations on dramatically different paths for nearly two decades.
Kopitar entered the league as an outlier - a 6-foot-3, 225-pound two-way center from Slovenia, a country most hockey executives at the time couldn't locate on a map. Yet he would become one of the most consistent and dominant players of his generation.
Comparing Two Hall of Fame Careers
Anze Kopitar's career statistics tell the story of remarkable consistency and excellence. Over 1,500 NHL games, all with the Kings, he has accumulated 446 goals and 857 assists for 1,303 points. More importantly, he captured the two achievements that eluded Price: Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014, seasons where he led the postseason in scoring.
Kopitar's trophy case includes two Selke Trophies as the league's best defensive forward and three Lady Byng Memorial Trophies for sportsmanship and excellence, making him the first player since Martin St. Louis to achieve this combination. Many believe he deserved the Hart Trophy in 2017-18, when it went instead to Taylor Hall.
Carey Price, meanwhile, established himself as one of the premier goaltenders of his era at his peak. His 2014-15 season was particularly spectacular, earning him the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Vezina Trophy as best goaltender. However, his career was shortened by persistent knee injuries, ending four years earlier than Kopitar's ongoing tenure.
The Leadership Question
Beyond statistics, the article explores the intangible qualities Kopitar would have brought to Montreal. Described by those who know him as "caring," "warm," and "down-to-earth," Kopitar has demonstrated remarkable character throughout his career.
One telling anecdote involves a young Croatian hockey player attending Kopitar's camp in Slovenia. Photographs show the NHL star on his knees helping the child with equipment adjustments, then personally leading her through skating drills - not the behavior of an absentee celebrity making a token appearance.
"He seems to be a very caring and warm person, very down-to-earth," says Mia Vrbanac, whose daughter attended Kopitar's camp. "He just walks around and hangs out like any other coach. He is great with kids, warm, approachable, laughs a lot and motivates them."
The Montreal What-If Scenario
For nearly 20 years, the Canadiens searched for a true number one center and captain. The article suggests Kopitar would have filled both roles perfectly, potentially becoming another Jean Béliveau - a gentleman leader in a rough sport.
Current Canadiens center Nick Suzuki represents the closest contemporary comparison to Kopitar's style - a dogged two-way player known for class on and off the ice. Along with retired Boston captain Patrice Bergeron, these players exemplify what star athletes should be in every dimension.
The fundamental question remains: which is more valuable to a franchise - a great goaltender or a great center? There's no definitive answer, only the knowledge that both players defined excellence at their positions.
Would Kopitar's leadership have brought Stanley Cup parades back to Montreal? The two rings he earned in Los Angeles suggest possibilities, but hockey history doesn't deal in certainties, only fascinating alternatives.
As Kopitar prepares for his final game against Montreal, Canadiens fans can appreciate what was, while wondering what might have been in that alternate draft universe where Slovenia's greatest hockey export wore the bleu, blanc et rouge.
