ANOKA, Minn. – The death last month of prominent Olympic hockey “Miracle on Ice” Mark Pavelich was considered suicide, a Minnesota forensic doctor said Monday.
The Midwest forensic doctor’s office in Anoka County said in a statement that Pavelich, 63, died of asphyxiation. His body was found March 3 at Eagle’s Healing Nest in Sauk Center, Minn.
Pavelich was being treated at home as part of a civil commitment to assault his neighbor in Cook County, Minnesota, in August 2019. Pavelich thought the man had bitten his beer.
He was charged with aggravated assault, but Judge Michael Cuzzo found him incompetent to stand trial because he was mentally ill and dangerous. The judge said psychologists found Pavelich was suffering from delirium and paranoia. Experts also diagnosed him with a mild neurocognitive disorder due to a traumatic brain injury, probably related to repeated head injuries.
Pavelich, who played 341 of his 355 NHL games with the Rangers, assisted on Mike Eruzione’s winning goal against the heavily favored Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympics. That American team won the medal. of gold.