Pavelich in the (bad) news

eco's bones

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Jul 21, 2005
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I loved Mark when he was a Ranger--small guy but he was a really good player and he had grit but he was also a really shy guy. Reijo Ruotsolainen was like his best buddy. He was one of those guys that when the game was over he didn't hang out--he went home. I remember his wife dying several years ago. It seems almost as if things have been going his way for a while. Hopefully the guy he's accused of assaulting is okay and this won't turn into a lot.
 

Chaels Arms

Formerly Lias Andersson
Aug 26, 2010
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I loved Mark when he was a Ranger--small guy but he was a really good player and he had grit but he was also a really shy guy. Reijo Ruotsolainen was like his best buddy. He was one of those guys that when the game was over he didn't hang out--he went home. I remember his wife dying several years ago. It seems almost as if things have been going his way for a while. Hopefully the guy he's accused of assaulting is okay and this won't turn into a lot.

He attacked his neighbor with a metal pipe causing a fractured vertebrae, broken ribs and other injuries and also happened to be found in possession of an illegal sawed off shotgun. There's no way for this to not be "a lot."

Guy needs to either be in jail or a mental institution.
 
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Maximus

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I loved Mark when he was a Ranger--small guy but he was a really good player and he had grit but he was also a really shy guy. Reijo Ruotsolainen was like his best buddy. He was one of those guys that when the game was over he didn't hang out--he went home. I remember his wife dying several years ago. It seems almost as if things have been going his way for a while. Hopefully the guy he's accused of assaulting is okay and this won't turn into a lot.

I'm with you Eco...loved Pav when he played both on the Olympic team and with us on those fun and exciting early to mid 80's Ranger teams that were pretty damn good but always lost to the Islanders in the playoffs despite us giving them fits.

He was one of my favorite Rangers back when Herbie Brooks was our coach. Pavelich along with Ruotsolainen, Mike Rogers, Robbie Ftorek, Eddie Johnston etc...were known as the "smurfs" as they used to drive opponents nuts with all their speed and skill and they were so fun to watch.

This is a total shockeroo as like you said, he was notoriously shy and quiet and never said or made a peep. All he did was play great hockey for us. Oh well, you never know what happens to players after their careers end. All we can do is hope and pray that this ends up having a somewhat happy ending.
 

Brooklyn Ranger

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Feb 27, 2002
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He attacked his neighbor with a metal pipe causing a fractured vertebrae, broken ribs and other injuries and also happened to be found in possession of an illegal sawed off shotgun. There's no way for this to not be "a lot."

Guy needs to either be in jail or a mental institution.

People also have to think about the number of concussions a player like Pavelich had playing hockey back in the 1970a and 1980s. Brain injuries can cause violent episodes years later.

I'm not trying to condone or excuse what happened--however there are many shades of gray. The court did the right thing:

During his initial court appearance Monday, Pavelich, 61, was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.
"There is reason to doubt (Pavelich's) competency," wrote Judge Michael Cuzzo in court order for the evaluation on Monday.
 

eco's bones

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People also have to think about the number of concussions a player like Pavelich had playing hockey back in the 1970a and 1980s. Brain injuries can cause violent episodes years later.

I'm not trying to condone or excuse what happened--however there are many shades of gray. The court did the right thing:

Yeah--I remember one really bad one which happened right as he was scoring a goal. If my memory serves me correctly he was reaching for and shooting the puck all in one motion as an opposing player's knee collided with his head. The NHL has done its best to walk away from former players on this issue . Keeping in mind that another former Rangers Dale Purinton goes from being the head coach of a junior team in the BCHL one year to arrested for breaking and entering a cabin in upstate New York about a year later. A number of suicides--Mike Peluso has grand mal seizures that trace back to his concussions. A lot of ex-players are phsyical, psychological or emotional wrecks.
 
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Wasn't he on those "Smurf" teams that always had those brutal games against the Flyers?
 

eco's bones

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Hate to speculate on items like this, but he was a smallish player who competed in what was still the stone-age NHL. This level of unhinged violence is becoming all too common, and an indicator of CTE.

Yeah---from the article Pavelich seemed to think his neighbor had spiked his beer and the judge also seemed concerned about his mental fitness. The beer thing strikes me as delusional. So I would guess that he has some degree of CTE. There is only so much treatment can do and these things tend to get progressively worse. People wonder why this player or that kills himself but it's not a rosy picture looking forward to dementia in your 40's or 50's. I've seen it with older people--it's not pretty then either. Pavelich's wife died in 2012 and he lives in a remote area of Minnesota. The guy was introverted as all get out to begin with.
 
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eco's bones

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Wasn't he on those "Smurf" teams that always had those brutal games against the Flyers?

Yeah he was one of the smurfs---Robbie Ftorek, Rob McClanahan too. It was more brutal for the Flyers though. The smurfs were skating rings around their big palookas. Pavelich was a hell of a player--a bit bigger than but a lot like Mats Zuccarello though Pavelich was more of a shooter and goal scorer.
 

chosen

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Pav was a very good player and personal fave. A moment I'll never forget was Nystrom lining him up for a huge hit. Pav saw him coming and sent Nystrom airborne. I was pleased and shocked.
 

Mandar

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Sep 27, 2013
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He flat out quit on us in 1986....just left the team during the season cause he didn't like Sator (no one liked Sator). Left his teammates...left the organization....left the fans.

A shame about his possible mental health issues, but as a player.....as talented as he was....not a bit of respect for him.
 

eco's bones

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He flat out quit on us in 1986....just left the team during the season cause he didn't like Sator (no one liked Sator). Left his teammates...left the organization....left the fans.

A shame about his possible mental health issues, but as a player.....as talented as he was....not a bit of respect for him.

Sator was awful--it wasn't just Mark--he pretty much drove Beck and Ruotsolainen off the team. He sent Larouche to the minors and to rub salt into that wound it wasn't even to the Rangers AHL team--he had him loaned out to Hershey. Of all the Ranger coaches that I've seen he was the most micromanaging couldn't ever admit he made a mistake. Larouche was called up late in the season because the Rangers were looking like they might not make the playoffs and scored something like 16 goals in 19 games--which pretty much saved their asses. He had some grudge with Pavelich--Mark was leading the team in scoring the first half of the season and then Sator stuck him on the 4th line and took him off the power play......with Mark's introverted but stubborn personality that that wasn't going to go well. He was the type to say f*** it and walk away from a career.
 
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Maximus

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Sator was awful--it wasn't just Mark--he pretty much drove Beck and Ruotsolainen off the team. He sent Larouche to the minors and to rub salt into that wound it wasn't even to the Rangers AHL team--he had him loaned out to Hershey. Of all the Ranger coaches that I've seen he was the most micromanaging couldn't ever admit he made a mistake. Larouche was called up late in the season because the Rangers were looking like they might not make the playoffs and scored something like 16 goals in 19 games--which pretty much saved their asses. He had some grudge with Pavelich--Mark was leading the team in scoring the first half of the season and then Sator stuck him on the 4th line and took him off the power play......with Mark's introverted but stubborn personality that that wasn't going to go well. He was the type to say **** it and walk away from a career.

Alot of your comments are totally on point about Sator. What's so ironic is somehow someway the Rangers channeled all of that anger and frustration about Sator, somehow dealt with Pavelich quitting on the team and had one of the most fun and exciting playoff runs in their history.

I recall it like yesterday as it was just about as much fun as I have ever had as a fan as that 85-86 Ranger club came from absolute f***ing nowhere, barely squeaked into the playoffs and yet we ended up beating both the heavily favored Flyers and Capitals to get to the ECF.

As you said, Larouche went nuts once he got to the MSG as he, Mike Ridley, Bob Brooke, Rejo, Sandstrom broke out some cans of whup ass on the Caps and Flyers until the magic finally ran out as we lost to the eventual Cup champs that year the Canadians. One of the most memorable things about that playoff run was when our little tough guy George McPhee bloodied up Rick Tocchet and kicked his ass during the Flyer series. It was just an amazing site to see.

But yeah, Sator was big time hated but the team overcame it to give us one hell of a memorable season.
 

eco's bones

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Alot of your comments are totally on point about Sator. What's so ironic is somehow someway the Rangers channeled all of that anger and frustration about Sator, somehow dealt with Pavelich quitting on the team and had one of the most fun and exciting playoff runs in their history.

I recall it like yesterday as it was just about as much fun as I have ever had as a fan as that 85-86 Ranger club came from absolute ****ing nowhere, barely squeaked into the playoffs and yet we ended up beating both the heavily favored Flyers and Capitals to get to the ECF.

As you said, Larouche went nuts once he got to the MSG as he, Mike Ridley, Bob Brooke, Rejo, Sandstrom broke out some cans of whup ass on the Caps and Flyers until the magic finally ran out as we lost to the eventual Cup champs that year the Canadians. One of the most memorable things about that playoff run was when our little tough guy George McPhee bloodied up Rick Tocchet and kicked his ass during the Flyer series. It was just an amazing site to see.

But yeah, Sator was big time hated but the team overcame it to give us one hell of a memorable season.

A better coach and they might have gone farther. I don't want to crap on Bob Brooke--he was a pretty decent player but it seems to me that Sator wanted a whole team full of guys just like him. Who would go up and down their wings--check, check, check and maybe put up 40 point seasons. Sator in a way was kind of like Gernander. He was in love with 3rd line grinders.
 
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Larrybiv

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May 14, 2013
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He attacked his neighbor with a metal pipe causing a fractured vertebrae, broken ribs and other injuries and also happened to be found in possession of an illegal sawed off shotgun. There's no way for this to not be "a lot."

Guy needs to either be in jail or a mental institution.
Okay, so you have never gotten that angry, right? I am not saying this behavior is "okay", but YOU nor anyone else have any idea as to "why" he attacked his neighbor. Maybe his weeds were invading his yard, maybe he kicked Pav's dog. Those things might make me come after my neighbor with a pipe. Amongst other things, There is only so much a neighbor should be neighborly about, when one takes advantage of another. It has to end somewhere. Where's my pipe? Lol.
 

hi

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Okay, so you have never gotten that angry, right? I am not saying this behavior is "okay", but YOU nor anyone else have any idea as to "why" he attacked his neighbor. Maybe his weeds were invading his yard, maybe he kicked Pav's dog. Those things might make me come after my neighbor with a pipe. Amongst other things, There is only so much a neighbor should be neighborly about, when one takes advantage of another. It has to end somewhere. Where's my pipe? Lol.

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Maximus

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A better coach and they might have gone farther. I don't want to crap on Bob Brooke--he was a pretty decent player but it seems to me that Sator wanted a whole team full of guys just like him. Who would go up and down their wings--check, check, check and maybe put up 40 point seasons. Sator in a way was kind of like Gernander. He was in love with 3rd line grinders.

Not so sure even with any other coach other than Sator that shocking ‘86 run to the ECF happens or that that team goes even further.

I firmly believe that Ranger team went about as far as they possibly could have and they did so because they bonded together in spite of Sator. As you know there was a reason the Caps had 32 more points than us in regular season while the Flyers had something similar.

Both those teams were much better than ours but sometimes adversity brings teams together to do great out of nowhere things and the hatred for Sator and Pavelich quitting seemingly was just the tonic for that Ranger team.
 
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Bleed Ranger Blue

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Jul 18, 2006
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Okay, so you have never gotten that angry, right? I am not saying this behavior is "okay", but YOU nor anyone else have any idea as to "why" he attacked his neighbor. Maybe his weeds were invading his yard, maybe he kicked Pav's dog. Those things might make me come after my neighbor with a pipe. Amongst other things, There is only so much a neighbor should be neighborly about, when one takes advantage of another. It has to end somewhere. Where's my pipe? Lol.

If a neighbor's weeds were invading your yard, you'd beat the shit out of him with a metal pipe?
 

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