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.
"We are saddened to hear about the passing of the 1980 Olympic gold medalist Mark Pavelich," USA Hockey said in a statement on Twitter. "We extend our deepest condolences to Mark's family and friends. (He is) forever a part of hockey history."
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.
The New York Rangers, who Pavelich played for for five seasons said in a statement that his "determination, passion, and dazzling playmaking ability earned him the adoration of Rangers fans."
