Mark Pavelich, who won a gold medal as a member of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. hockey team, has been committed to a secure treatment facility by a Minnesota district judge.
Pavelich, 61, had been charged with beating a friend with a metal pole in August, leaving the man with severe injuries, including a fractured vertebrae.
Based on testimony by clinical psychologists, Judge Michael Cuzzo found Pavelich to be mentally incompetent to stand trial and dangerous.
“There is a substantial likelihood that he will engage in acts capable of inflicting physical harm on another in the future,” the judge wrote in his ruling, according to reporting by the Duluth News Tribune.
The criminal case has been put on hold, and Pavelich will have another hearing in February to determine if he should remain in treatment.
Pavelich assisted on Mike Eruzione’s game-winning goal over the Soviet Union in the medal round of the the 1980 Olympics. He later played parts of seven seasons in the NHL and scored a career-best 37 goals in 1982-83 with the New York Rangers.
Family members have said they believe Pavelich suffers from the brain disease CTE from repeated concussions during his hockey career.