The Boston Bruins defeated the Los Angeles Kings in overtime on Tuesday. But what has fans buzzing afterward is the Bruins’ heartwarming gesture toward the Kings captain, Anze Kopitar.
Both the Kings and the Bruins are currently fighting for a playoff spot. The Bruins hold the final wild card spot in the East, while the Kings sit just outside in the West, tied on points with the Seattle Kraken for the last wild card position.
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Overtime winner from Charlie McAvoy
It was a hard-fought game between the two teams at TD Garden. The game remained scoreless through two periods until Mason Lohrei broke the tie in the third. The Kings equalized five minutes later but eventually lost in overtime after a goal from Charlie McAvoy.
“Kastelic had great awareness to skate himself into a good lane, and ‘Pasta’s’ always doing a good job there and he reads overtime really well. He stretched out, opened up a lot of space for us, and just led me perfectly,” McAvoy told NHL.com after the game.
Thanked Anze Kopitar
However, most postgame conversations focused on what the Bruins did after the final whistle. The entire team lined up to shake hands with Anze Kopitar. The Kings captain announced that the 2025–2026 season will be his last, making Tuesday his final appearance at TD Garden. Bruins head coach Marco Sturm, who was an assistant coach for the Kings from 2018–2022, waited to be the last in line and gave Kopitar a heartfelt hug.
Kopitar has spent all 20 of his NHL seasons with the Kings, serving as team captain since the 2016–2017 season.
Fans praise the gesture
Fans online have praised the Bruins for the touching gesture.
“Once again, hockey does it right. Greatest team sport ever!” one fan wrote on X.
“You love to see it. At the end, they’re all just guys who love to play hockey,” another wrote.
“When basically the whole locker room gives him a hug, that speaks volumes just to how respected he is,” a third added.
You can watch the handshakes below.
