Matjaž Kopitar
Matjaž Kopitar ( born November 6, 1965 in Jesenice, SR Slovenia ) is a Slovenian former ice hockey player and current coach. His son Anže Kopitar is also a professional hockey player.
- 2.1 International
Career
Matjaž Kopitar began his career as a hockey player in his hometown in the junior department of the HK Jesenice, for the first team, he was active from 1983 to 1995. With Jesenice he was in the years 1985, 1987 and 1988 Yugoslav champions as well as in the years 1992, 1993 and 1994 Slovenian champion. From 1995 to 1997, the attackers played for HK Bled in the Slovenian Hockey League. From 1998 to 2000 he was responsible for DEK Klagenfurt in the National League, the Austrian second division, active. Most recently, he played from 2001 to 2003 in its home country Slovenia for the HDK Maribor Stavbar before he ended his career at the age of 37 years.
Internationally
For Yugoslavia Kopitar took part in the B World Cup 1991. For Slovenia, he took part in the C world championships in 1993 and 1994.
As coach
From 2003 to 2005 and from 2006 to 2008 Kopitar was assistant coach of the Slovenian national team. In the season 2006/ 07 he also supervised his hometown club HK Jesenice as head coach in the Austrian Hockey League.
Since 2010, Kopitar has been head coach of the Slovenian national team. In 2012 B- World Cup, he rose with the Slovenian national ice hockey team into the top division. In February 2013, he led the victory at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Danish Vojens, the national team for the first participation at the Olympic Winter Games.
Awards and achievements
Internationally
- 2012 promotion to the top division at the World Championships for Division IA (as coach )
- 2013 to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games