Sasha
From enforcer to actor: A life defined by grit, 17 teams, and a final battle against brain cancer.
Sasha Gordon Lakovic (September 7, 1971 – April 25, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player known for his toughness as an enforcer across 17 different teams. Beyond the rink, he played roller hockey in the mid-1990s and took on a small acting role as Russian player Boris Mikhailov in the 2004 Disney film Miracle. Known by nicknames like Hitman, Pitbull, and Sasha the Basha, his career spanned from turning pro in 1992–93 until retirement after the 2004–05 season. His life was marked by intense on-ice incidents, including a famous suspension for jumping over the glass during a Battle of Alberta game.
- Birth Date
- September 7, 1971
- Death Date
- April 25, 2017
- Total Professional Teams
- 17
- NHL Games Played
- 37
- Peak Penalty Minutes (1996–97)
- 416 in 49 games
- Roller Hockey Tenure
- 1993 to 1998
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Lakovic turned professional in the 1992–93 season, immediately making his mark with three Colonial Hockey League teams and the American Hockey League's Binghamton Rangers. He bounced through the ECHL, Central Hockey League, International Hockey League (IHL), and AHL before reaching the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Calgary Flames in 1996–97. His most notorious on-ice moment occurred while playing for the IHL's Las Vegas Thunder; after defeating Barry Potomski in a fight, he got on all fours and barked at the crowd. This aggression was matched by his penalty minutes, peaking at 416 in just 49 games during that same 1996–97 season.
In Their Own Story
The defining moment of Lakovic's career came on November 23, 1996, during his first and only Battle of Alberta game between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers at Northlands Coliseum. Late in the match, a drunken fan reached over the glass to dump a drink on Flames assistant coach Guy Lapointe. Lakovic reacted instantly, jumping over the glass in an attempt to confront the spectator. Although teammates held him back from climbing further, he was suspended for two games due to the incident. Later that year, he was dealt to the New Jersey Devils but played only 37 NHL games total before finishing his career in the West Coast Hockey League and the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey.
Reader's Guide
Off the ice, Lakovic played roller hockey for three Roller Hockey International teams from 1993 to 1997 and one Major League Roller Hockey team in 1998. He also pursued acting, landing a role as Boris Mikhailov, captain of the Soviet team at the 1980 Winter Olympics, in the movie Miracle. Born into a Montenegrin Serb family emigrating from Podgorica to Canada, he had four children and three brothers: Veso, Zoran, and Milosh. His nephew, Lynden Lakovic, was drafted 27th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2025 NHL entry draft. Lakovic lived his later years in West Kelowna, British Columbia, before publicly announcing an inoperable brain cancer diagnosis on October 12, 2016.
Did You Know?
- Lakovic earned the nickname 'Sasha the Basha' alongside 'Hitman' and 'Pitbull'.
- He played for four different roller hockey teams in the mid-1990s.
- His suspension of two games came after he jumped over the glass to chase a fan who attacked his coach.
- Lakovic was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer and given three months to live on October 12, 2016.
- His nephew Lynden Lakovic was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the 2025 NHL entry draft.
More in Agents & Targets
Elsewhere in the Hitman universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record