Kings teammates happy for Anze Kopitar’s success with Slovenia

SOCHI, Russia — Here’s a news flash: Jonathan Quick smiled.

The Kings and U.S. Olympic goaltender, normally so serious and unemotional in public, let his joy shine through Tuesday when he was told that Kings teammate Anze Kopitar had helped Slovenia win its playoff qualification game against Austria.

Slovenia, playing in the Olympic hockey tournament for the first time, will face Sweden in a quarterfinal matchup Wednesday.

“That’s awesome,” Quick said after the U.S. worked out at the Bolshoy Ice Dome practice rink.

“I was very happy he was able to come here and take part in it. I knew he was excited to come out here and compete in this tournament. I knew what his expectations were coming out here, and to see them win a game in the first round and now win this game here, it’s great. I can’t be happier for him.”

U.S. forward Dustin Brown also said he was happy for Kopitar, who has often been his Kings linemate over the years.

“It’s exciting. You can tell they were pretty excited about it,” Brown said of Kopitar. “Knowing Kopi, they’ve been working as a country to get better and they finally get into the Olympics and now they’re doing well.

“You always want to see your teammates from your club team do well, so it’s good to see Kopi have success with his Olympic team.”

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