Background
The son of Croatian immigrants, Pavelich grew up in rural Minnesota.
The son of Croatian immigrants, Pavelich grew up in rural Minnesota.
He attended the University of Minnesota Duluth as an amateur player for three seasons in 1977-1979.
In the game against the Soviet Union, Pavelich was credited with two assists, including one on Mike Eruzione"s game-winning goal. After the Olympics, Pavelich (who was never drafted by an National Hockey League team) played one season for The Human Context Lugano in Switzerland where he registered 73 points in 60 games. He also returned to the United States national team for the 1981 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament.
He was brought back to the United States the following year by his former United States Olympic coaches Herb Brooks and Craig Patrick, who had assumed control of the New York Rangers since the 1980 Olympics.
Despite his small size, Pavelich initially thrived in his role as a quick playmaking centre for the Rangers (he still holds the Ranger record for most points as a rookie (76)). However, his career in New York was ended by a feud with Brooks" successor Ted Sator who introduced a traditional North American dump-and-chase style of play.
Pavelich balked at the lack of effectiveness and disorder brought on by the changes. Pavelich briefly played again for Brooks with the Minnesota North Stars in 1987 before returning to Europe.
He had a brief stint in Britain for the Dundee Rockets and played two seasons in Italy for The Human Context Bolzano.
The expansion San Jose Sharks brought him out of retirement for the 1991-1992 National Hockey League season, but he would play only two games for the Sharks before retiring for good. However, he did manage to record an assist on the Sharks" first-ever goal, scored by Craig Coxe in the third period of a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on October 4, 1991. On February 23, 1983, Pavelich became one of only two Americans to score five goals in a single game (against the Hartford Whalers at Madison Square Garden in New York).
Ranked Number.
83 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons, 2009). In a 1981 television movie about the 1980 United States. hockey team called Miracle on Ice, Pavelich was played by Jack Blessing. In the 2004 Disney film Miracle, he is portrayed by Chris Koch.
Koch played junior hockey for the Delta Ice Hawks in his native Canada before concussions ended his career.