Mark Pavelich

Amateur career

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

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.

Professional career

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. He remained the only American player to do so during his lifetime. 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.

Legacy

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.

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

Personal life

Pavelich married Sue Koski on September 11, 1985. The couple had one daughter, Tarja, in 1987 and divorced in 1989. 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. To "some", the death was "suspicious".

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

Health and legal issues

Pavelich was arrested on August 15, 2019, for assaulting a neighbor with whom he had earlier been fishing, after he believed the neighbor had put something into his beer. 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. In August 2020, Pavelich was granted court approval for transfer to a lower-security setting for treatment. 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.

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

In popular culture

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.

Awards and achievements

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

References

1. (February 12, 2020). "Quiet Pavelich a Ranger Godsend". The Washington Post.
2. (May 14, 2020). "The Croatian American Story with 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Gold Medal Winners". Total Croatia News.
3. (January 12, 1979). "Eveleth twosome to test Gopher six". The Minneapolis Star.
4. (February 25, 1980). "... and on the Range". Star Tribune.
5. (May 14, 2020). "The Croatian American Story with 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Gold Medal Winners". Total Croatia News.
6. (December 22, 1981). "Quiet Pavelich a Ranger Godsend". The Record.
7. (February 24, 1983). "RANGERS IN ROMP; PAVELICH SCORES 5".
8. (December 7, 2022). "Thompson scores five of nine Sabres goals in win against Blue Jackets".
9. (2009). "100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters". [[John Wiley & Sons]].
10. . (October 18, 2022). ["Inaugural Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame induction held"](https://www.croatiaweek.com/inaugural-croatian-american-sports-hall-of-fame-induction-held/).
11. (March 23, 2020). "Retro Rangers: Pavelich Paid the Price". Inside Hockey.
12. (April 30, 2020). "Mark Pavelich's Tragic Journey From 1980 Olympic Hero To A Mental Facility 40 Years Later".
13. (2022-02-17). "The quiet life and the sad death of the 'Miracle on Ice' team's Mark Pavelich". The Athletic.
14. (April 18, 2014). "'Miracle on Ice' gold medal up for auction".
15. (May 18, 2014). "Mark Pavelich's 'Miracle on Ice' gold medal sells for $262,900".
16. (August 21, 2019). "Mark Pavelich, of 'Miracle on Ice' fame, charged with assaulting neighbor on North Shore".
17. (October 28, 2019). "'Miracle on Ice' player Mark Pavelich found unfit for assault trial".
18. "Judge rules former 'Miracle on Ice' star Mark Pavelich mentally ill, dangerous".
19. (August 13, 2020). "Court clears way for Olympic star Mark Pavelich to leave high-security state hospital".
20. (August 22, 2019). "Attack on neighbor puts 'Miracle on Ice' skater Mark Pavelich in jail; family suspects CTE behind violence".
21. (March 5, 2021). "Pavelich dies at 63, was on 'Miracle on Ice' 1980 U.S. Olympic team".
22. (March 5, 2021). "'Miracle' hockey star Mark Pavelich found dead in treatment center".
23. (April 5, 2021). "Death of 'Miracle on Ice' Olympic hockey team star Mark Pavelich ruled suicide". [[ESPN]].
24. Chris Koch biography at the Internet Movie Database https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1537836/
25. "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives.
26. "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners". NCAA.org.