Kopitar resigns as coach of Slovenia national team

Slovenia coach Matjaz Kopitar resigned Tuesday after five seasons as coach of the national team.

At the 2015 IIHF World Championship, Slovenia finished eighth in Group B with three points (1-0-0-6) and was relegated to the Division I Group A level for the 2016 tournament. Slovenia lost its first six games, all in regulation. Its only win came Monday against Denmark, a 1-0 victory in its tournament finale.

Kopitar, the father of Los Angeles Kings star center Anze Kopitar, had coached Slovenia to a seventh-place finish at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the team's best result at an international competition. He also coached Slovenia to wins at World Championship Division I tournaments in 2012 and 2014.