ANOKA, Minn. – Last month the death of “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey top Mark Pavelich was labeled suicide, a Minnesota medical examiner said Monday.
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Anoka County said in a press release that 63-year-old Pavelich died of asphyxiation. His body was found March 3 at the Eagle’s Healing Nest in Sauk Center, Minn.
Pavelich underwent treatment at home as part of a civil union for assaulting his neighbor in Cook County, Minn., In August 2019. Pavelich thought the man had spiked his beer.
He was charged with assault, but Judge Michael Cuzzo found that he was incompetent to face trial because he was mentally ill and dangerous. The judge said psychologists found Pavelich was delusional and paranoid. Experts also found that he had mild neurocognitive impairment due to traumatic brain injury, likely related to repeated head injury.
Pavelich, who played 341 of his 355 NHL games with the Rangers, assisted Mike Eruzione’s winning goal against the highly favored Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics. That American team went on to win the gold medal.