‘Miracle’ star Pavelich dies
A member of the “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey team has died at a treatment center for mental illness.
Officials in Anoka County, Minnesota, confirmed Friday that 63year-old Mark Pavelich died at the Eagle’s Healing Nest in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, on Thursday morning. The cause and manner of death are still pending.
Pavelich was undergoing treatment at the home as part of a civil commitment for assaulting his neighbor in Cook County, Minnesota, in August 2019, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Pavelich thought the man had spiked his beer.
He was charged with felony assault but Judge Michael Cuzzo found he was incompetent to stand trial because he was mentally ill and dangerous. According to the judge’s order from December 2019, a psychologist found Pavelich was suffering from delusions and paranoia. Another psychologist found he suffered from a mild neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury, likely related to repeated head injuries.
Pavelich starred at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and assisted Mike Eruzione on the winning goal against the heavily favored Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics. That U.S. team went on to win the gold medal.
Pavelich spent five seasons with the NHL’s New York Rangers and played briefly for the Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks. He sold his gold medal for more than $250,000 in 2014, two years after his wife, Kara, died in an accidental fall.
Pavelich’s sister, Jean Gevik, didn’t immediately respond to a message.
The Rangers said in a statement they were saddened by Pavelich’s death.
“His determination, passion and dazzling playmaking ability earned him the adoration of Rangers fans during his five-year tenure in New York,” the team said.
Blackhawks top Lightning
Philipp Kurashev scored the only goal in a shootout and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Friday night.
Alex DeBrincat scored twice and Dominik Kubalik added a goal in regulation for the Blackhawks, who lost their first three games to the Lightning this season. Malcolm Subban made 39 saves, plus three more in the shootout.
Anthony Cirelli, Alex Killorn and Ryan McDonough scored for the Lightning, and Curtis McElhinney stopped 24 shots.
Chicago improved to 4-1-1 in its past six games and snapped Tampa Bay’s six-game winning streak.
McDonough made it 3-2 off a big rebound 3:20 into the third period, jumping on Killorn’s drive and beating Subban from 10 feet.
Kubalik tied it 1:40 later by poking home the fluttering shot of defenseman Duncan Keith for his fourth goal in six games.
Overtime started with a flurry of chances for both teams. McElhinney stopped Patrick Kane on a pair breakaways in the first two minutes, and Tampa Bay also had several odd-man chances. Subban held strong despite a hard collision with Steven Stamkos, then denied Victor Hedman, Brayden Point and Stamkos in the shootout.
Tampa Bay scored twice in the first 11 minutes, only to see Chicago tie it early in the second period.
Cirelli got behind Keith and rebounded Point’s shot at 2:51 for his third goal in four games. Killorn made it 2-0 at 10:27 with a powerplay goal, tipping Hedman’s shot from the high slot.
DeBrincat scored less than three minutes later. The 100th goal of his NHL career was a power-play goal, a wrist shot from the left circle with Blake Coleman off for hooking.
DeBrincat, who had 18 goals in 70 games last season, scored his 14th in 21 games this year 7:08 into the second period, parking low in the left circle before one-timing a pass from Kane to tie it.
Blackhawks defenseman Calvin DeHaan crumpled to the ice after blocking Ondrej Palat’s snapshot 2:12 into the final period and eventually limped to the bench. He went to the locker room and did not return.
Tampa Bay played only two overtime games in its first 20 contests but were taken to overtime for the second game in two nights by the Blackhawks, running their season total to four.
Columbus and Carolina were the other teams to force the Lightning past 60 minutes, and only Carolina scored a victory.
Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook received a video tribute on the scoreboard Friday night, hours after he announced his retirement because of injuries, saying his right hip wouldn’t heal enough to allow him to play following surgery. Seabrook was a key part of the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup winning teams in 2010, 2013 and 2015, as well as Canada’s 2010 Olympic champions.
Tampa Bay and Chicago conclude their three-game series on Sunday at United Center.