Marty Pavelich Explained

Position:Left Wing
Played For:Detroit Red Wings
Shoots:Left
Height Ft:5
Height In:11
Weight Lb:168
Birth Date:1927 11, mf=yes
Birth Place:Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
Death Place:Flower Mound, Texas, U.S.
Career Start:1944
Career End:1957

Martin Nicholas Pavelich (November 6, 1927 – June 28, 2024) was a Canadian ice hockey left winger. He played ten seasons for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League from 1947 until 1957. Pavelich was the last surviving member of the Red Wings 1950 Stanley Cup team.

Early career

Pavelich played three seasons (1944–47) of junior-league hockey with the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) Galt Red Wings in Galt, Ontario. He played 74 regular season games for the team, scoring 52 goals, with 66 assists for 118 points.[1]

NHL career

Pavelich joined the NHL Detroit Red Wings in 1947. He played 634 regular season NHL games, scoring 93 goals and 159 assists for 252 points. His post-season record is 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 93 games.[2] The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup four times (1950, 1952, 1954, 1955) during his career and he played in the NHL all-star games for those seasons.

Pavelich was regarded as an unsung hero of the early 1950s powerhouse Red Wing squad that also included Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay.[3] Wings manager, Jack Adams, referred to Pavelich as "one of the four key men around whom we build our hockey club."[4] Hockey journalist Stan Fischler, ranked him as the 4th best defensive forward of all time in his book Hockey's 100: A Personal Ranking of the Best Players in Hockey History.[5] Considered one of the best "shadows" of his time, his role was to check other team's top scorers, including the likes of Maurice "Rocket" Richard.[3] [4]

Later life and death

Pavelich left the Red Wings at the end of the 1956-57 season. He and Ted Lindsay ran a successful plastics manufacturing business together that supplied parts to the automotive industry. He rejected a 1958 contract that called for a minor-league option. "I told him I could get him a $7,000 base salary in the minors, which is a good contract, but Marty said he'd retire first," Detroit General Manager Jack Adams said.[3] Pavelich retired after the 1956-57 season, rather than risk being moved away from the Wings and his business.

He later retired to Big Sky, Montana in the early 1990s.[6] [7] Pavelich died at his home in Montana on June 28, 2024, at the age of 96.[8] He had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the prior month.[9]

Career statistics

  Regular season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1944–45Galt Red WingsOHA-Jr.218122010975126
1945–46Galt Red WingsOHA-Jr.252226481852135
1946–47Galt Red WingsOHA-Jr.282228503294596
1947–48Detroit Red WingsNHL41481210102246
1947–48Indianapolis CapitalsAHL263141721
1948–49Detroit Red WingsNHL601016264090118
1949–50Detroit Red WingsNHL6581523581442613
1949–50Indianapolis CapitalsAHL62352
1950–51Detroit Red WingsNHL67920294160112
1951–52Detroit Red WingsNHL681719365482242
1952–53Detroit Red WingsNHL641320334962137
1953–54Detroit Red WingsNHL659202957122244
1954–55Detroit Red WingsNHL70151530591113412
1955–56Detroit Red WingsNHL7051318381001114
1956–57Detroit Red WingsNHL64313164850006
NHL totals634931592524549113152874

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Marty Nicholas Pavelich . Legends of Hockey.net. April 30, 2010.
  2. Web site: Marty Pavelich's player profile . Hockey DB.com. April 30, 2010.
  3. Web site: Marty Pavelich 1953-54 . Red Wings.NHL.com. April 30, 2010.
  4. Book: Fischler, Stan & Shirley . Who's Who in Hockey. Andrews McMeel Universal . 2003 . 0-7407-1904-1. April 30, 2010.
  5. Web site: Marty Pavelich . Greatest Hockey Legends.com. April 30, 2010.
  6. https://www.explorebigsky.com/local-groups-raise-funds-for-ice-rink-development/45369
  7. https://themalikreport.com/2022/08/23/big-sky-montana-to-build-a-rink-honoring-red-wings-alumnus-marty-pavelich/
  8. Web site: Pavelich dies at 96, won Stanley Cup 4 times with Red Wings. NHL.com. June 29, 2024. Stubbs. Dave. June 30, 2024.
  9. Web site: James . Helene St . Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup champion Marty Pavelich dies at age 96 . 2024-06-28 . Detroit Free Press . en-US.