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.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 7 September 1971
- Birthplace
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Died
- 25 April 2017
- Position
- Right wing
- Shoots
- Left
- Played for
- Calgary Flames; New Jersey Devils
- Draft
- Undrafted
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.
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.
More in Agents & Targets
Elsewhere in Hitman
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced