DENVER — It was the toughest of days for the Colorado Rockies’ television crew Monday.
They learned their beloved technical manager Alex Milinkov died Sunday from an accident at his Castle Rock home, according to his employer Al Boileau, owner and president of Ultimate Productions. Milinkov, who was 29, had worked the Rockies-Phillies’ telecast Sunday afternoon and was scheduled to work the Rockies’ game Monday afternoon with the Cleveland Guardians.
“He was an amazing young man who had taken the industry by storm,’’ Boileau said of Milinkov. “Just a devastating loss.”
Boileau said Milinkov wore many hats on sports telecasts for the Rockies, NHL Las Vegas Golden Knights, NBA games that included the Denver Nuggets among many others. There were plans for Milinkov to serve as technical manager on the Broncos’ preseason telecasts for 9NEWS this summer.
His father Scott Milinkov is also a longtime veteran of behind-the-scenes sports telecasts.
Rockies’ TV play-by-play announcer Drew Goodman paid tribute to Milinkov as the game was coming out of an inning break Monday.
“He was our technical ears and eyes onsite to make sure everything goes well,’’ Boileau said. “He knew all the positions. He can do audio. He could run camera. He could shade the cameras with video. He could do it all.’’
“He was a very large man not only in his presence but in his character and his charm and his wit. If someone was down or there was an issue, he was the guy who would bring a little wit and humor and get everybody’s focus back on track. He was a leader. He was a leader in every facet. He was such a critical part of our team because he was so diversified.”
Milinkov leaves his wife Emma and two young children.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for his family.
“It’s just shock and disbelief,’’ Boileau said. “Not only in our community but he did a lot in Vegas. He was a very sought-after person because he was such a great human being, he was so personable and he was eager and extremely knowledgeable. I trained him as a tech manager early and then he just walked right past me with his knowledge. It's been a difficult day for all of us."
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