According to a report from the Duluth News Tribune in Duluth, Minnesota former U.S. Olympian and ‘Miracle on Ice’ forward Mark Pavelich has been court ordered to undergo mental health evaluation following a ugly assault arrest.
Read below for an excerpt of the report from the Duluth News Tribune:
Mark Pavelich was charged in District Court in Grand Marais on Monday with four counts related to striking his neighbor on the back, arms and legs with a metal pole. Pavelich was additionally charged with being in possession of an illegally shortened shotgun which had its serial numbers filed down.
During his initial court appearance Monday, Pavelich, 61, was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.
“There is reason to doubt (Pavelich’s) competency,” wrote Judge Michael Cuzzo in court order for the evaluation on Monday.
According to the complaint, Pavelich, a land developer in Lutsen, had been fishing with his neighbor last Thursday prior to the alleged assault later that evening. Upon returning home, Pavelich accused the neighbor of “spiking his beer,” the complaint said. When Cook County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived, the neighbor was “in shock” with “observable injuries and an obvious disfigurement of his leg,” the complaint said.
The now 61 year old Pavelich was a forward on the 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice’ U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team, which overcame incredible odds to defeat the dominant Soviet Union team and go on to win the gold medal by defeating Finland. Following Olympic glory, Pavelich had a seven season career in the NHL, playing mostly with the New York Rangers. He managed an impressive 137 goals and 329 points in 355 NHL games split between the Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks.
In the years since retiring from professional hockey, Pavelich has led a mostly quiet life in rural Minnesota. He reportedly enjoys fishing and covets his privacy. In 2012, Pavelich’s wife Kara died following a second-story fall at the couple’s home.
Pavelich is 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. He could be facing up to 15 years in prison as a result of his alleged crimes.
