Posted on 03/06/2021 4:01:22 PM PST by Joe 6-pack
A central figure in one of the most iconic moments in American sports has died.
Mark Pavelich, a member of the "Miracle on Ice" USA Hockey team, was found dead Thursday morning at a mental health treatment center, the Star Tribune reports. He was 63.
USA Hockey confirmed Pavelich's death Friday.
Pavelich is the second member of Miracle on Ice team to die, following the death of Bob Suter in 2014.
The cause of Pavelich's death is not known, per the Star Tribune, though emergency dispatch audio reportedly disclosed that Pavelich had not been seen since 8 p.m. Wednesday, and responding personnel said he appeared to have been dead for several hours.
Pavelich's body was reportedly taken to the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office in Anoka, Minnesota, which still has yet to determine a cause of death.
Pavelich had been receiving mental health treatment at the center as part of a civil commitment ordered by a judge in 2019 following Pavelich's assault of a neighbor. Facing four counts of felony assault, Pavelich was ruled mentally ill and dangerous after reportedly attacking a friend of 20 years with a metal pole after a day of fishing. The assault, which reportedly came after Pavelich accused his friend of spiking his beer, left the victim with cracked ribs, a bruised kidney, a vertebrae fracture and many bruises.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
RIP
Great player and a real talent for a smaller athlete. He may have been a victim of CTE with concussions and as a result he became mentally ill later in life.
Former All-Star defensemen Barry Beck blasted the NHL, the NY Rangers and its GM John Davidson who was a former teammate.
Always admired Barry Beck but now I really respect his voice here.
https://nypost.com/2021/03/06/barry-beck-blasts-rangers-john-davidson-after-mark-pavelich-death/
Very sad, and so young. Rest in peace.
One of the greatest triumphs in American sports.
Lots of personal demons.
RIP
After the withdrawal from Vietnam, Watergate, Carter Malaise, and Iran hostage crisis Americans were feeling pretty broken by 1979. The "Miracle on Ice," was a huge shot in the arm that lifted the spirits of many, as did the election of Reagan in 1980 and the STS-1 Shuttle Mission in the spring of 1981. I was still a kid, but I'll always remember how those three things energized me and my friends and my parents.
RIP
Actor Chris Koch played him in MIRACLE (2004)...
RIP for the gentleman...
The 70s also had the best music and the worst clothes.
.
My thoughts exactly.........what a tragedy.........
He was a bit of an odd character even back in 1980, and really became withdrawn and much more of a loner over the years. I believe he was the only player from the 1980 team who didn't attend a team reunion 20 or 25 years later.
Pavelich had been receiving mental health treatment at the center as part of a civil commitment ordered by a judge in 2019 following Pavelich's assault of a neighbor. Facing four counts of felony assault, Pavelich was ruled mentally ill and dangerous after reportedly attacking a friend of 20 years with a metal pole after a day of fishing. The assault, which reportedly came after Pavelich accused his friend of spiking his beer, left the victim with cracked ribs, a bruised kidney, a vertebrae fracture and many bruises.
It was awesome for America.
I was too young to have cared about the whys (I was five during those Olympics) but even then, there was something so different between the start of the Reagan years, and what we had come out of. It was a helluva grand bang-up way to start out one's real childhood.
A great movie.
Anyone looking for a wholesome, pro-America movie to watch with the kids, this is it.
Yup, I think I must have some dust in my eyes or something.
It is hard to see such an event occurring again without someone making a political statement out of it advancing a cause or a particular group.
The game against the Soviets was played earlier in the day. That night on the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite said that something happened at the Olympics that was very special, but he would not say anything about it. He said to watch the taped game of the Olympics on ABC tonight.
So, I watched the taped game on ABC. The game was in the third period, getting close to the 11 News. During a station break, one of the local anchors got on and blurted out that the United States had just beaten the Russians. I was so pissed.
Shoot the puck Barry! That is what Bill Chadwick the great Rangers announcer would yell when Beck would pass instead of shoot.
RIP Mark Pavelich. You gave the USA some great moments.
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