Sasha Gordon Lakovic (September 7, 1971 – April 25, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for 17 different professional teams during his career. Lakovic also played for four roller hockey teams in the mid-1990s.
Lakovic also had a stint in acting, landing a small role as Russian ice hockey player Boris Mikhailov in the 2004 Disney biopic Miracle.
His nicknames were Hitman, Pitbull and Sasha the Basha.
Playing career Lakovic turned pro in 1992–93, playing for three separate Colonial Hockey League teams, as well as the American Hockey League's Binghamton Rangers. Lakovic bounced around the ECHL, Central Hockey League, International Hockey League and AHL for a few more seasons, including an incident where he got on all fours and barked to the crowd after defeating Barry Potomski in a fight while with the IHL's Las Vegas Thunder. Lakovic moved on to the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames in 1996–97. and was dealt to the New Jersey Devils a year later. Lakovic would play only 37 NHL games before finishing his career with stops in the West Coast Hockey League, and finally the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey before retiring following the 2004–05 season.
Lakovic became known as an enforcer, registering 397 penalty minutes in his first pro season. He peaked at 416 penalty minutes in just 49 games in 1996–97 as a member of the Las Vegas Thunder.
During the hockey off-season, Lakovic played roller hockey for three Roller Hockey International teams from 1993 to 1997, and in the Major League Roller Hockey in 1998.
Battle of Alberta Lakovic gained widespread attention on November 23, 1996, when playing in his first, and only, Battle of Alberta game between the Flames and the Edmonton Oilers. Late in the game, played at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, a drunken fan reached over the glass, dumping his drink on the head of Flames assistant coach Guy Lapointe. Lakovic immediately jumped over the glass attempting to get at the fan. Held back from climbing over by his teammates, Lakovic was suspended two games for the incident.
Post-NHL Lakovic later played in the American Hockey League, West Coast Hockey League, Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League (now as Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey) and left hockey after 2005. He lived his later years in West Kelowna, British Columbia.
Acting He portrayed Boris Mikhailov, captain of the Soviet hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics, in the movie Miracle based on the Miracle on Ice.
Death On October 12, 2016, Lakovic publicly announced that he was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer and was given only three months to live.
Lakovic died on April 25, 2017, at the age of 45.Karin Larsen, «Sasha 'Pit Bull' Lakovic dead at age 45», April 26, 2017, CBC News
Personal life Lakovic was born into a Montenegrin Serb family to parents Spasoje and Marsha, who emigrated from Podgorica. He had four children and three brothers named Veso, Zoran, and Milosh.Springfield Funeral Home obituary
Lakovic's nephew, Lynden Lakovic, is an ice hockey player who was drafted 27th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2025 NHL entry draft.
Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs 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 Toledo Storm ECHL 24 5 10 15 198 — — — — — 1994–95 Tulsa Oilers CHL 40 20 24 44 214 4 1 3 4 88 1995–96 Las Vegas Thunder IHL 49 1 2 3 416 13 1 1 2 57 1996–97 Las Vegas Thunder IHL 10 0 0 0 81 2 0 0 0 14 1996–97 Saint John Flames AHL 18 1 8 9 182 — — — — — 1996–97 Calgary Flames NHL 19 0 1 1 54 — — — — — 1997–98 Albany River Rats AHL 30 7 6 13 158 13 3 4 7 84 1997–98 New Jersey Devils NHL 2 0 0 0 5 — — — — — 1998–99 New Jersey Devils NHL 16 0 3 3 59 — — — — — 1998–99 Albany River Rats AHL 10 1 1 2 93 — — — — — 1999–00 Albany River Rats AHL 51 10 16 26 144 5 0 0 0 14 2000–01 Rochester Americans AHL 51 3 9 12 161 4 1 1 2 32 2000–01 Long Beach Ice Dogs WCHL 8 3 6 9 29 — — — — — 2001–02 Bakersfield Condors WCHL 30 5 13 18 147 — — — — — 2001–02 Anchorage Aces WCHL — — — — — 2 0 1 1 6 2002–03 St. Jean Mission QPSHL 15 0 4 4 51 — — — — — 2004–05 Sherbrooke Saint-François LNAH 2 0 0 0 16 — — — — — 2004–05 Horse Lake Thunder NPHL 5 3 10 13 42 5 3 3 6 12 2010–11 Horse Lake Chiefs NPHL 7 3 3 6 61 9 2 7 9 76 AHL totals 163 22 40 62 714 22 4 5 9 130 NHL totals 37 0 4 4 118 — — — — —
See also List of violent spectator incidents in sports
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