By Pat Sweeney
Apr 5, 2021 3:54 PM
A Minnesota medical examiner says last month’s death of “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey player Mark Pavelich was ruled a suicide.
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Anoka County says Pavelich died of asphyxia at age 63.
His body was found March 3 at the Eagle’s Healing Nest in Sauk Centre.
The Minnesota native was undergoing treatment there as part of a civil commitment for assaulting his neighbor in August 2019.
He was charged with felony assault but a judge found he was incompetent to stand trial because he was mentally ill and dangerous.
Pavelich was a member of the gold-medal winning 1980 U-S Olympic team.
Miracle on Ice Olympic hockey standout Mark Pavelich, 63, killed himself at mental health treatment center after being committed for beating his neighbor with a metal pipe
The Midwest Medical Examiner´s Office in Anoka County ruled that 63-year-old Pavelich died of asphyxia due to a plastic bag over his head
Pavelich s body was found last month at the Eagle s Healing Nest in Sauk Centre, Minnesota
Pavelich was committed to the mental health treatment center for beating his neighbor with a metal pipe in 2019 after he believed he spiked his drink
Pavelich was best known for playing center and assisting on the game-winning goal on the legendary Olympic gold-medal winning Miracle on Ice team
Death of Miracle on Ice skater Mark Pavelich ruled suicide
Pavelich died March 4 at the Eagle’s Healing Nest, where he was undergoing treatment as part of a civil commitment for allegedly assaulting his neighbor.
Credit: AP
FILE - In this Feb. 21, 2015, file photo, Jack O Callahan (left) and Mark Pavelich (right) of the 1980 U.S. ice hockey team talk during a Relive the Miracle reunion at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. Pavelich died at a treatment center for mental illness. Officials in Anoka County, Minnesota, confirmed Friday, March 5, 2021, that Pavelich, 63, died at the Eagle s Healing Nest in Sauk Centre, Minn.(AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A member of the “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey team has died at a treatment center for mental illness.
Officials in Anoka County, Minnesota, confirmed that 63-year-old Mark Pavelich died at the Eagle s Healing Nest in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, on Thursday morning. The cause and manner of death are pending.
Pavelich was undergoing treatment as part of a civil commitment for assaulting his neighbor in 2019. Pavelich suspected the man had spiked his beer. A judge found Pavelich was incompetent to stand trial because he was mentally ill and dangerous.
Pavelich assisted on Mike Eruzione s goal that defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union during the 1980s Olympics. That U.S. team went on to win the gold medal.