Bob Lakso

Last updated
Bob Lakso
Born (1962-04-03) April 3, 1962 (age 59)
Aurora, Minnesota, USA
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Minnesota Duluth
Springfield Indians
Indianapolis Checkers
Milwaukee Admirals
Indianapolis Ice
Fort Wayne Komets
NHL Draft 184th, 1980
Minnesota North Stars
Playing career 1980–1993

Robert Lakso is an American retired ice hockey left wing who was an All-American for Minnesota Duluth. [1]

Contents

Career

Lakso was a star player for Aurora-Hoyt Lakes, playing football, cross country and track in addition to hockey. The NHL had changed its draft rules that year, making Lakso eligible for the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, and he was selected in the 9th round by his home state Minnesota North Stars. [2]

The following fall, Lasko began attending the University of Minnesota Duluth and he began his collegiate career slowly. A broken leg delayed the start to his sophomore season but, once he got back on the ice, Lakso began playing much better. The program changed coaches in 1982, and Mike Sertich's arrival changed the trajectory of the program. In his junior season Lakso was nearly a point-per-game player for a team that set a new program record with 28 wins. Unfortunately, many of those victories didn't come in conference play and UMD finished 4th in the WCHA. [3] Despite the low finish, the team did receive its first bid to the NCAA Tournament where they were knocked out in the quarterfinals.

Undeterred, Lasko was named alternate captain for his senior season and he produced his best season to date. His point production improved and he helped Minnesota–Duluth win their first WCHA title in 19 years of league play. The Bulldogs clinched the crown in a 4–2 thanks to a hat-trick from Lakso. [4] UMD then won their first ever conference championship and received the second western seed in the 1984 NCAA Tournament. UMD was able to eek out a victory over Clarkson in the quarterfinals to make their first Frozen Four. They faced a North Dakota squad looking for revenge but the two team's defenses held and overtime was required. It didn't take long for Lakso to find Bill Watson with a pass and the later ended the game early in the first extra session.

UMD headed to their first championship game against Bowling Green and Lakso was ready with a tremendous performance. He assisted on the first two Minnesota–Duluth goals and scored the third to give the Bulldogs a 3–1 lead early in the third period. Unfortunately, a late comeback resulted in the two teams ending regulation with a 4–4 tie. The two ended up playing the longest championship game in NCAA history, requiring 4 overtimes, but it was Bowling Green who ended up scoring the winner. Lakso was named to the All-Tournament team, to go along with his All-American honors.

After graduating, Lakso began his professional career with the Springfield Indians but quickly found himself demoted to the IHL. He found a great deal of success playing AA hockey but, despite his scoring exploits, played just 25 games at the AHL level. Despite finishing 3rd on his team in 1987, Minnesota didn't renew Lakso's contract and he went on to play for three IHL teams over the next three years. he found his greatest success with the Fort Wayne Komets, scoring 100 points in his first year with the club. That offseason, the team moved to Albany but Lakso stayed in Fort Wayne when a different franchise was moved in to replace the departed Komets, taking over the same name. Lakso was traded to the new Komets for the promise that Fort Wayne would pay its own travel costs whenever it travelled to Albany. As the Albany team folded part-way through the next season, the trade turned out to be a steal for Fort Wayne.

Injuries hampered the rest of Lakso's career, but he was able to reach the Turner Cup Final in 1991 and then win the championship in 1993. Lakso retired after the title, ending his playing career on a high note.

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

  Regular Season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1979–80Aurora-Hoyt Lakes MN-HS ——————————
1980–81 Minnesota–Duluth WCHA 3676132—————
1981–82 Minnesota–Duluth WCHA 281211238—————
1982–83 Minnesota–Duluth WCHA 451825438—————
1983–84 Minnesota–Duluth WCHA 4332346612—————
1984–85 Springfield Indians AHL 82130—————
1984–85 Indianapolis Checkers IHL 76263258463252
1985–86 Springfield Indians AHL 173692—————
1985–86 Indianapolis Checkers IHL 58413576454260
1986–87 Indianapolis Checkers IHL 79395594662240
1987–88 Milwaukee Admirals IHL 8043287110—————
1988–89 Indianapolis Ice IHL 8238347210—————
1989–90 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 824258100653360
1990–91 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 66313162819612182
1991–92 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 6831296010—————
1992–93 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 63172138410110
NCAA totals152697614530—————
AHL totals2557122—————
IHL totals65430832363162421822404

Awards and honors

AwardYear
All-WCHA Second Team 1983–84 [5]
AHCA West Second-Team All-American 1983–84 [1]
All-NCAA All-Tournament Team 1984 [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Bob Lakso". Hockey Draft Central. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Minnesota–Duluth Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide". Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Memorable Bulldog Moments". Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  5. ↑ "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  6. ↑ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
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