Mark Thomas Pavelich (born February 28, 1958 in Eveleth, Minnesota) is a retired American professional ice hockey forward who played 355 regular season games in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks between 1981 and 1991 and was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal in what has been called the Miracle on Ice.

[edit] Amateur career

The son of Croatian immigrants, Pavelich grew up in rural Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota Duluth as an amateur player for three seasons in 1977–79. Pavelich is best known for being a member of the Miracle on Ice, the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey gold medal team. He got the only assist on the game winning goal by Mike Eruzione.

[edit] Professional career

After the Olympics, Pavelich (who was never drafted by an NHL team) played one season for HC Lugano in Switzerland where he scored 73 Points in 60 games. He also returned to the US national team for the 1981 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament. He was brought back to the United States the following year by his former US Olympic coaches Herb Brooks and Craig Patrick, who had assumed control of the New York Rangers since the 1980 Olympics. Despite his small size, Pavelich initially thrived in his role as a quick playmaking centre for the Rangers (he still holds the Ranger 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 balked at the lack of effectiveness and disorder brought on by the changes.

Pavelich briefly played again for Brooks with the Minnesota North Stars in 1987 before returning to Europe. He had a brief 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 for good.

On February 23, 1983, Pavelich became one of only two Americans to score 5 goals in a single game. Mickey Roach had achieved the feat in 1920.

[edit] Legacy

• Ranked No. 83 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).

[edit] Personal life

Mark Pavelich's brother in law was also a hockey player and now coaches for the Hibbing Bluejackets, in Hibbing, Minnesota.

[edit] In popular culture

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

In the 2004 Disney film Miracle, he is portrayed by Chris Koch. Koch played junior hockey for the Delta Ice Hawks in his native Canada before concussions ended his career.^[1]

[edit] Awards and Accomplishments

• WCHA First All-Star Team (1979)
• NCAA West First All-American Team (1979)

[edit] External links

Mark Pavelich's biography at Legends of Hockey

• Mark Pavelich's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

[edit] References

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