Mark Pavelich, a player in the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team's "Miracle on Ice, is incompetent to stand trial on assault charges in Minnesota, a district judge ruled Monday, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Pavelich, 61, is accused of attacking a longtime friend with a metal pole, behavior his family maintains is because he has CTE, a degenerative neurological disorder that has been linked to erratic, sometimes violent behavior and suicides among, most notably, hockey and football players.
The case against Pavelich, of Lutsen, Minnesota, was suspended Monday as Cook County authorities petitioned to have him civilly committed to treatment.
District Judge Michael Cuzzo told Pavelich at a hearing earlier in the day that a psychologist’s report “indicates you need some assistance to fully understand” the criminal proceedings he faced.
Pavelich assisted on Mike Eruzione’s winning goal in a stunning upset of the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympic hockey tournament semifinals, a victory in Lake Placid, New York, that came to be known as “Miracle on Ice.” (Team USA went on to defeat Finland in the gold medal game.)
Pavelich, who starred at the University of Minnesota Duluth, played five NHL seasons with the New York Rangers. He also had brief stints with the Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks.
According to the Star Tribune, Pavelich's sister, Jean Gevik, who was in the courtroom Monday, has said his family is convinced that “all the concussions and the blows he had” in the NHL left Pavelich with CTE.
“He’s been an amazing brother. Fun. Loving. This has been a total change,” Gevik told the Star Tribune on Monday at the court proceedings she described as "heartbreaking."
Pavelich was booked into the Cook County jail on Aug. 15 and charged with multiple counts of assault after a friend of 20 years, James T. Miller, 63, told authorities Pavelich attacked him with a 3- to 4-foot long metal pole, following a day of fishing. Pavelich accused Miller of "spiking his beer," the criminal complaint said.
In a written order Monday, Judge Cuozzo concluded, based on the psychologist's report, that Pavelich is “incapable of participating in the defense due to mental illness or deficiency.” The order states that charges against Pavelich will be dismissed in three years unless prosecutors notify the court notice that they intend to prosecute if or when he regains competency.
Since his last NHL season, Pavelich has been a virtual recluse, per the Star Tribune, which noted that in 2012, his wife, Kara, 44 at the time, died in an accidental fall from a second-story balcony at their home.
Two years later, Pavelich sold his 1980 Olympic gold medal for $262,900 in an auction, explaining that he wanted to provide financial security for his adult daughter.
The NHL last year reached a settlement with hundreds of retired players who claimed harm from head injuries while playing, but the league admitted no fault or wrongdoing.
Under the agreement, each former NHL player who opts in would receive $22,000 and could be eligible for up to $75,000 in medical treatment. Pavelich did not make a claim, his sister has said.
