Sasha Lakovic
Sasha Lakovic | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 September 1971 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Died | 25 April 2017 (aged 45) |
| Occupation(s) | Professional ice hockey player, actor |
| Years active | 1992–2005 |
| Known for | Playing in the NHL for Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils; portraying Boris Mikhailov in Miracle (2004) |
Sasha Gordon Lakovic (September 7, 1971 – April 25, 2017) was a Canadian ice hockey professional who played for seventeen professional hockey teams and four roller hockey squads during the mid-1990s.
In addition to his athletic career, Lakovic portrayed Russian hockey player Boris Mikhailov in the 2004 Disney film Miracle.
He was known by several nicknames, including Hitman, Pitbull, and Sasha the Basha.
Playing career
Lakovic launched his professional journey in the 1992–93 season, competing for three teams in the Colonial Hockey League alongside appearances with the Binghamton Rangers of the AHL. Throughout his career, he played in various leagues such as the ECHL, Central Hockey League, International Hockey League, and AHL, earning recognition as an enforcer. In his rookie season, he accumulated 397 penalty minutes and reached a career-high of 416 penalty minutes over 49 games with the Las Vegas Thunder during the 1996–97 season.
He made his NHL debut with the Calgary Flames in 1996–97 and was traded to the New Jersey Devils the following season, participating in a total of 37 NHL contests. Lakovic wrapped up his playing days with stints in the West Coast Hockey League and Quebec’s Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey before retiring after the 2004–05 campaign.
During off-seasons, he also took part in roller hockey competitions with three Roller Hockey International teams from 1993 to 1997 and later competed in Major League Roller Hockey in 1998.
Battle of Alberta
Lakovic became widely noted on November 23, 1996, during his sole Battle of Alberta matchup between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. Following an incident where a spectator threw a drink onto Flames assistant coach Guy Lapointe at Northlands Coliseum, Lakovic attempted to leap over the glass barrier to confront the fan but was held back by teammates. This event resulted in a two-game suspension for him.
Post-NHL
After his NHL tenure, Lakovic continued playing professionally within the American Hockey League, West Coast Hockey League, and Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League (now known as Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey) until retiring from competitive hockey in 2005. Subsequently, he lived in West Kelowna, British Columbia.
Acting
Lakovic took on the role of Boris Mikhailov—the Soviet team captain during the 1980 Winter Olympics—in the film Miracle, which dramatizes the famous Miracle on Ice event.
Death
On October 12, 2016, Lakovic revealed that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer that was deemed inoperable and was given an estimated three months to live.
He died on April 25, 2017, at age 45.
Personal life
Born to Montenegrin Serb parents Spasoje and Marsha from Podgorica, Lakovic was a father of four children and had three brothers named Veso, Zoran, and Milosh.
His nephew, Lynden Lakovic, was selected 27th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2025 NHL entry draft.
Regular season and playoffs
1994–95 CHL season1996–97 IHL season1996–97 NHL season1997–98 NHL season1998–99 AHL season2000–01 AHL season2001–02 WCHL season 2|||0|||1|||1|||6 2002–03 QSPHL season 2004-05| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1989–90 | Grandview Steelers | PIJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Port Coquitlam Buckaroos | PIJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Kelowna Spartans | BCJHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Bellingham Ice Hawks | BCJHL | 24 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Chatham Wheels | CoHL | 28 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 235 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Columbus Chill | ECHL | 27 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 162 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Binghamton Rangers | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Brantford Smoke | CoHL | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 62 | ||
| 1993–94 | Chatham Wheels | CoHL | 13 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 61 | |||||||
| 1993–94 ECHL season | Toledo Storm | ECHL | 24 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 198 | |||||||
| Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 40 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 214 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 88 | |||
| 1995–96 IHL season | Las Vegas Thunder | IHL | 49 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 416 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 57 | ||
| Las Vegas Thunder | IHL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |||
| 1996–97 AHL season | Saint John Flames | AHL | 18 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 182 | |||||||
| Calgary Flames | NHL | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 54 | ||||||||
| 1997–98 AHL season | Albany River Rats | AHL | 30 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 158 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 84 | ||
| New Jersey Devils | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||
| 1998–99 NHL season | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 59 | |||||||
| Albany River Rats | AHL | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 93 | ||||||||
| 1999–00 AHL season | Albany River Rats | AHL | 51 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 144 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | ||
| Rochester Americans | AHL | 51 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 161 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 32 | ||||
| 2000–01 WCHL season | Long Beach Ice Dogs | West Coast Hockey League | 8 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 29 | |||||||
| Bakersfield Condors (1998–2015) | WCHL | 30 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 147 | ||||||||
| 2001–02 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | ||||||||||||
| Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Mission | Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey | 15 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 51 | ||||||||
| 2004–05 LNAH season | Sherbrooke Saint-François | LNAH | 2 | 00 | 16 | |||||||||
| Horse Lake Thunder | North Peace Hockey League
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -| See alsoExternal links |
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- 1971 births
- 2017 deaths
- Albany River Rats players
- Anchorage Aces players
- Bakersfield Condors (1998–2015) players
- Bellingham Ice Hawks players
- Binghamton Rangers players
- Brantford Smoke players
- Calgary Flames players
- Canadian ice hockey right wingers
- Canadian individuals of Serbian heritage
- Canadian individuals of Montenegrin heritage
- Chatham Wheels players
- Columbus Chill players
- Kelowna Spartans players
- Las Vegas Thunder players
- Long Beach Ice Dogs (WCHL) players
- New Jersey Devils players
- Canadian expatriate ice hockey athletes in the United States
- Oakland Skates players
- Rochester Americans players
- Saint John Flames players
- San Jose Rhinos players
- Ice hockey personalities from Vancouver
- Toledo Storm players
- Tulsa Oilers (1992–present) players
- Undrafted National Hockey League athletes
- Vancouver VooDoo players
- Canadian inline hockey competitors