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Mark Pavelich

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Mark Pavelich
Pavelich with the New York Rangers in 1986
Born (1958-02-28)February 28, 1958
Eveleth, Minnesota, U.S.
Died March 4, 2021(2021-03-04) (aged 63)
Sauk Centre, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Center
Shot Right
Played for HC Lugano
New York Rangers
Minnesota North Stars
Dundee Rockets
HC Bolzano
San Jose Sharks
National team  United States
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1980–1991
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1980 Lake Placid Team competition

Mark Thomas Pavelich (February 28, 1958 – March 4, 2021) was an American professional ice hockey forward who played 355 regular season games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars, and San Jose Sharks between 1981 and 1991. Pavelich was a member of the "Miracle on Ice" 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal.

Amateur career

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The son of Croatian immigrants,[1][2] Pavelich grew up in rural Eveleth, Minnesota.[3] He was a star performer on his high school hockey team, Eveleth High School.[4] He attended the University of Minnesota Duluth for three seasons from 1977 to 1979.[5]

Pavelich was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal in Lake Placid. In the game against the Soviet Union, Pavelich had two assists, including one on Mike Eruzione's game-winning goal.[6]

Professional career

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After the Olympics, Pavelich, who was not drafted by an NHL team, played one season for HC Lugano in Switzerland where he registered 73 points. He returned to the U.S. national team for the 1981 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament. He was brought back to the United States the following year by his former U.S. Olympic coaches Herb Brooks and Craig Patrick, who managed the New York Rangers. Despite his size, Pavelich thrived in his role as a center for the Rangers, and holds the Rangers record for most points as a rookie (76). However, his career in New York was ended by a feud with Brooks' successor Ted Sator, who introduced a traditional North American dump-and-chase style of play.

Pavelich briefly played for Brooks with the Minnesota North Stars in 1987 before returning to Europe. He had a stint in Britain for the Dundee Rockets and played two seasons in Italy for HC Bolzano. The expansion San Jose Sharks brought him out of retirement for the 1991–92 NHL season, but he would play only two games for the Sharks before retiring. However, he did record an assist on the Sharks' first-ever goal scored by Craig Coxe in the third period of a 4–3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on October 4, 1991.

On February 23, 1983, Pavelich became the first American to score five goals in a single game, against the Hartford Whalers at Madison Square Garden.[7] This feat has only been matched by an American once when Tage Thompson scored five goals against the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 7, 2022.[8]

Legacy

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In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Pavelich at No. 83 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.[9]

In October 2022, he was inaugurated in the Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame.[10]

Personal life

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Pavelich married Sue Koski on September 11, 1985. The couple had one daughter, Tarja, in 1987 and divorced in 1989.[11] He married Kara Burmachuk in 1994, and they had no children.

When Pavelich was 18, he killed 15-year-old Ricky Holgers in a hunting incident which authorities deemed accidental. His second wife Kara died at age 44 in a fall that authorities deemed accidental from a second-story balcony at their Lutsen, Minnesota, home on September 6, 2012.[12] To "some", the death was "suspicious".[13]

In April 2014, Pavelich put his Olympic medal up for auction, with bidding beginning at $62,500.[14] The medal sold in May 2014 for $262,900 through Dallas-based auction house Heritage Auctions.[15]

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Pavelich was arrested on August 15, 2019, for assaulting a neighbor with whom he had earlier been fishing,[16] after he believed the neighbor had put something into his beer.[17] He was charged with four felony counts: second and third-degree assault, possession of a short-barreled shotgun, and possession of a firearm with a missing or altered serial number. Pavelich was ruled incompetent to stand trial and was ordered committed to a secure treatment facility.[18][19] In August 2020, Pavelich was granted court approval for transfer to a lower-security setting for treatment.[20] Pavelich's sister, Jean Gevik, stated that she believed he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and had noticed behavioral changes in the years leading up to the incident which led to his arrest.[21]

Pavelich died on March 4, 2021, at a residential treatment center in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.[22][23] His death was ruled a suicide by asphyxiation.[17]

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In Miracle on Ice, a 1981 TV movie about the 1980 U.S. hockey team, Pavelich was played by Jack Blessing.

In the 2004 Disney film Miracle, he is played by Chris Koch. Koch played junior hockey for the Delta Ice Hawks in his native Canada before concussions ended his career.[24][better source needed]

Awards and achievements

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Award Year Ref
All-WCHA First Team 1978–79 [25]
AHCA West All-American 1978–79 [26]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1975–76 Eveleth High School HS-MN — — — — — — — — — —
1976–77 University of Minnesota-Duluth WCHA 37 12 7 19 8 — — — — —
1977–78 University of Minnesota-Duluth WCHA 36 14 30 44 44 — — — — —
1978–79 University of Minnesota-Duluth WCHA 37 31 48 79 52 — — — — —
1979–80 United States National Team Intl 53 15 30 45 12 — — — — —
1980–81 HC Lugano NDA 28 24 25 49 — — — — — —
1981–82 New York Rangers NHL 79 33 43 76 67 6 1 5 6 0
1982–83 New York Rangers NHL 78 37 38 75 52 9 4 5 9 12
1983–84 New York Rangers NHL 77 29 53 82 96 5 2 4 6 0
1984–85 New York Rangers NHL 48 14 31 45 29 3 0 3 3 2
1985–86 New York Rangers NHL 59 20 20 40 82 — — — — —
1986–87 Minnesota North Stars NHL 12 4 6 10 10 — — — — —
1986–87 Dundee Rockets BHL 1 0 2 2 0 — — — — —
1987–88 HC Bolzano ITA 36 31 44 75 19 8 9 13 22 8
1988–89 HC Bolzano ITA 44 23 34 57 42 — — — — —
1991–92 San Jose Sharks NHL 2 0 1 1 4 — — — — —
NHL totals 355 137 192 329 340 23 7 17 24 14

International

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Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1980 United States OG 7 1 6 7 2
1981 United States WC 8 2 3 5 4
Senior totals 15 3 9 12 6

References

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  1. ^ "Quiet Pavelich a Ranger Godsend". The Washington Post. February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "The Croatian American Story with 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Gold Medal Winners". Total Croatia News. May 14, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  3. ^ Byrne, Jimmy (January 12, 1979). "Eveleth twosome to test Gopher six". The Minneapolis Star. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Marx, Patrick (February 25, 1980). "... and on the Range". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  5. ^ "The Croatian American Story with 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Gold Medal Winners". Total Croatia News. May 14, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  6. ^ Ross, Sherry (December 22, 1981). "Quiet Pavelich a Ranger Godsend". The Record. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  7. ^ Mifflin, Lawrie (February 24, 1983). "RANGERS IN ROMP; PAVELICH SCORES 5". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  8. ^ Merz, Craig (December 7, 2022). "Thompson scores five of nine Sabres goals in win against Blue Jackets". NHL.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  9. ^ Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 46. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  10. ^ "Inaugural Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame induction held". croatianweek.com. October 18, 2022.
  11. ^ Grimm, George (March 23, 2020). "Retro Rangers: Pavelich Paid the Price". Inside Hockey. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  12. ^ "Mark Pavelich's Tragic Journey From 1980 Olympic Hero To A Mental Facility 40 Years Later". www.nypost.com. April 30, 2020.
  13. ^ "The quiet life and the sad death of the 'Miracle on Ice' team's Mark Pavelich". The Athletic. February 17, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  14. ^ "'Miracle on Ice' gold medal up for auction". April 18, 2014.
  15. ^ "Mark Pavelich's 'Miracle on Ice' gold medal sells for $262,900". May 18, 2014.
  16. ^ "Mark Pavelich, of 'Miracle on Ice' fame, charged with assaulting neighbor on North Shore". www.twincities.com. August 21, 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Death of 'Miracle on Ice' Olympic hockey team star Mark Pavelich ruled suicide". ESPN. Associated Press. April 5, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  18. ^ "'Miracle on Ice' player Mark Pavelich found unfit for assault trial". www.twincities.com. October 28, 2019.
  19. ^ "Judge rules former 'Miracle on Ice' star Mark Pavelich mentally ill, dangerous". www.twincities.com.
  20. ^ Walsh, Paul (August 13, 2020). "Court clears way for Olympic star Mark Pavelich to leave high-security state hospital". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  21. ^ Walsh, Paul (August 22, 2019). "Attack on neighbor puts 'Miracle on Ice' skater Mark Pavelich in jail; family suspects CTE behind violence". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  22. ^ "Pavelich dies at 63, was on 'Miracle on Ice' 1980 U.S. Olympic team". NHL.com. March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  23. ^ Walsh, Paul (March 5, 2021). "'Miracle' hockey star Mark Pavelich found dead in treatment center". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  24. ^ Chris Koch biography at the Internet Movie Database https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1537836/
  25. ^ "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  26. ^ "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
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