Sasha Lakovic
Encyclopedia
Sasha "The Basha, Pitbull" Lakovic (Serbian
: Саша Лаковић, Saša Laković) (born September 7, 1971) is a retired 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 has attempted to start a career in acting, landing a small role as Russia
n ice hockey player Boris Mikhailov
in the 2004 Walt Disney
movie Miracle
.
's Binghamton Rangers
. After bouncing around the ECHL
, Central Hockey League
, International Hockey League and AHL for a few more seasons, Lakovic cracked the lineup of the National Hockey League
's Calgary Flames
in 1996–97. 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 IHL's Las Vegas Thunder
.
During the hockey offseason, Lakovic played roller hockey for three Roller Hockey International
teams from 1993–97, and in the Major League Roller Hockey
in 1998.
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.
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
: Саша Лаковић, Saša Laković) (born September 7, 1971) is a retired professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who played for 17 different professional teams during his career. Lakovic also played for four roller hockey
Roller hockey
Roller Hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using skates with wheels. The term "Roller Hockey" is often used interchangeably to refer to two variant forms chiefly differentiated by the type of skate used. There is traditional "Roller Hockey," played with quad roller skates, and...
teams in the mid 1990s.
Lakovic has attempted to start a career in acting, landing a small role as Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n ice hockey player Boris Mikhailov
Boris Mikhailov (ice hockey)
Boris Petrovich Mikhailov is a former Soviet ice hockey player. He played for Kristall Saratov from 1962–65, Lokomotiv Moscow from 1965–67, and CSKA Moscow from 1967-1981...
in the 2004 Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
movie Miracle
Miracle (film)
Miracle is a 2004 American biographical sports film about the United States men's hockey team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, that won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. The USA team's victory over the heavily favored Soviet team in the medal round was dubbed the Miracle on Ice...
.
Playing career
Lakovic, nicknamed the "Pit Bull" for his aggressiveness, turned pro in 1992–93, playing for three separate Colonial Hockey League teams, as well as the American Hockey LeagueAmerican Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
's Binghamton Rangers
Binghamton Rangers
The Binghamton Rangers were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.-History:The market was previously served by:-Playoffs:-Single Season:...
. After bouncing around the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
, Central Hockey League
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....
, International Hockey League and AHL for a few more seasons, Lakovic cracked the lineup of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
's Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
in 1996–97. Dealt to the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
a year later, Lakovic would play only 37 NHL games before finishing his career with stops in the West Coast Hockey League
West Coast Hockey League
The West Coast Hockey League was a professional minor ice hockey league active in the western United States from 1995 to 2003. The number of teams ranged from six to nine. The teams were located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Washington...
, and finally the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey
Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey
The Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey was founded in 2004 and is a low-level professional league based in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was called the Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League from 1996 until it turned pro in 2004...
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 IHL's Las Vegas Thunder
Las Vegas Thunder
The Las Vegas Thunder were an independent professional ice hockey team competing in the International Hockey League. The team's home rink was at the Thomas & Mack Center. They began play in the 1993–1994 season, folding on April 18, 1999...
.
During the hockey offseason, Lakovic played roller hockey for three Roller Hockey International
Roller Hockey International
Roller Hockey International was a professional inline hockey league that operated in North America from 1993 to 1999. It was the first major professional league for inline hockey....
teams from 1993–97, and in the Major League Roller Hockey
Major League Roller Hockey
Major League Roller Hockey is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a professional inline hockey league of 15 franchised member clubs, all of which are located in the United States. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, MLRH is the only full contact professional inline...
in 1998.
Battle of Alberta
Lakovic gained widespread attention on November 23, 1996 when playing in his first, and only, Battle of AlbertaBattle of Alberta
The Battle of Alberta is a term applied to the intense rivalry between the Canadian cities of Edmonton, the capital of the province of Alberta, and Calgary, the province's largest city...
game between the Flames and the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
. Late in the game, played at Northlands Coliseum
Rexall Place
Rexall Place is an indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada situated on the north side of Northlands. It is currently the home to the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League, the Edmonton Rush of the National Lacrosse League and the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL...
in Edmonton, a drunken fan reached over the glass, dumping his drink on the head of Flames assistant coach Guy Lapointe
Guy Lapointe
Guy Gerard "Pointu" Lapointe is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League...
. 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.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1992–93 | Chatham Wheels | CoHL | 28 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 235 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 1992–93 ECHL season The 1992-93 ECHL season was the fifth season of the ECHL. In 1992, the league saw numerous changes in team membership. The Winston-Salem Thunderbirds move to Wheeling, WV, becoming the first franchise to make a major relocation, the Roanoke Valley Rebels announced that they were changing their... |
Columbus Chill Columbus Chill The Columbus Chill was a professional ice hockey team that played in the East Coast Hockey League from October 1991 through the 1998-99 season. They played at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum in Columbus, Ohio. The Chill left Columbus in 1999 and relocated to Reading, Pennsylvania... |
ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States... |
27 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 162 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 1992–93 AHL season The 1992–93 AHL season was the 57th season of the American Hockey League. Sixteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Binghamton Rangers finished first overall in the regular season with 124 points, a which holds to this day... |
Binghamton Rangers Binghamton Rangers The Binghamton Rangers were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.-History:The market was previously served by:-Playoffs:-Single Season:... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Brantford Smoke Brantford Smoke The Brantford Smoke were a professional ice hockey team in the Colonial Hockey League, later the United Hockey League, now known as the International Hockey League. They played in Brantford, Ontario from 1991-92 until 1997-98, playing home games at the Brantford Civic Centre.They won the Colonial... |
CoHL | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 62 | ||
| 1993–94 | Chatham Wheels | CoHL | 13 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 1993–94 ECHL season The 1993-94 ECHL season was the sixth season of the ECHL. In 1993, the league saw the Roanoke Valley Rampage move to Huntsville, AL becoming the Huntsville Blast, as well as an expansion to three new markets: Charlotte, NC, North Charleston, SC, and Huntington, WV and returned to the Roanoke... |
Toledo Storm Toledo Storm The Toledo Storm was a minor league professional ice hockey team in the ECHL from 1991 to 2007. The Storm played their home games at the venerable Toledo Sports Arena along the southern banks of the Maumee River in Toledo, Ohio. The team colors were red and white, similar to the Detroit Red Wings,... |
ECHL | 24 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 198 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs.... |
40 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 214 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 88 | ||
| 1995–96 | Las Vegas Thunder Las Vegas Thunder The Las Vegas Thunder were an independent professional ice hockey team competing in the International Hockey League. The team's home rink was at the Thomas & Mack Center. They began play in the 1993–1994 season, folding on April 18, 1999... |
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 1996–97 AHL season The 1996–97 AHL season was the 61st season of the American Hockey League. The league renames its divisions due to relocating teams. The Northern Conferences consists of the Atlantic Division becoming the Canadian Division, and the Central Division becoming the Empire State Division... |
Saint John Flames Saint John Flames The Saint John Flames were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League from 1993 to 2003 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Calgary Flames bought and relocated the Utica Devils, to be their AHL affiliate.... |
AHL | 18 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 182 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Calgary Flames Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 1997–98 AHL season The 1997–98 AHL season was the 62nd season of the American Hockey League. The AHL shifts teams in their divisions, and the Canadian division reverts to being named Atlantic division. The Northern conference is renamed the Eastern conference, and the Southern conference renamed the Western... |
Albany River Rats Albany River Rats The Albany River Rats were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center.- Founding to 2010 :... |
AHL | 30 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 158 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 84 | ||
| 1997–98 | New Jersey Devils New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 1998–99 AHL season The 1998–99 AHL season was the 63rd season of the American Hockey League. Nineteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Providence Bruins finished first overall in the regular season, and won their first Calder Cup championship.-Team changes:... |
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 2000–01 AHL season The 2000–01 AHL season was the 65th season of the American Hockey League. The league realigns its divisions again. The Atlantic division is renamed the Canadian division. The Empire State division is replaced by the South division, with many teams shifting from the Mid-Atlantic division.Twenty... |
Rochester Americans Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and a top affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial... |
AHL | 51 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 161 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 32 | ||
| 2000–01 | Long Beach Ice Dogs | WCHL West Coast Hockey League The West Coast Hockey League was a professional minor ice hockey league active in the western United States from 1995 to 2003. The number of teams ranged from six to nine. The teams were located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Washington... |
8 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Bakersfield Condors Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a minor league ice hockey team based in Bakersfield, California. The team plays in the Pacific Division of the ECHL's Western Conference. The Condors join the Houston Aeros as an affiliate of the Minnesota Wild in the National Hockey League... |
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-Francois Sherbrooke Saint-Francois The Sherbrooke Saint-François is a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The team is part of the minor professional league Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey . The Saint-Francois plays at the Palais des Sports.... |
LNAH Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey The Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey was founded in 2004 and is a low-level professional league based in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was called the Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League from 1996 until it turned pro in 2004... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 37 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 118 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||