Mitchell, on Anze Kopitar not having won the Selke Trophy:
Market brand, East Coast bias right? I’m very, very surprised actually. I played with Kesler in Vancouver, and no disrespect to Kes, but it’s like the last couple years it’s just how Kopi controls the game through the middle of the ice. It’s incredible what he does for our hockey club down low on the wall. No one can get the puck off of him. He uses his big body, big reach and sticks his big ass out there and that’s it. He protects the puck and he comes in and you see him on the power play and it’s just like just give him the puck. There will be two or three guys on him and he still finds a way to enter the zone and fight those guys off and get it setup on the offensive side. To be honest, as a defenseman you ask any of these guys here the defense and the center is what breaks a forecheck. If you ask any of the D-men on the team ‘If you can play with any center on the team, who would it be?’ Kopi in a heartbeat, because he’s always at the right place down low to make that easy little break pressure play and go. He’s a complete player. I think he’s been lucky to have some coaches along the way that really stressed defense and now he’s finding his game in all facets of the game, offensively, defensively. Like I said, I said it a long time ago and people laughed at me but you look at Datsyuk and you look at Zetterberg and stuff like that. That’s who he is. He’s that good. You watch every little clip and who do you see in the defensive zone right down by the goal line? It’s Kopi. And then somehow he’s on the other end of the ice leading the rush on a rush play. He skates very, very well. Doesn’t look fast, but he is fast for a big man. Kind of like Lemieux that way how you look at him and say ‘He’s not that fast,’ but he’s actually moving really quick. I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s a complete player for us and just an excellent teammate too, a really humble guy.
