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DeutschMark Wells
| Mark Wells | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 18, 1957[1] St. Clair Shores, Michigan, U.S. | |||||||||||||
| Died | May 14, 2024 (aged 66) Escanaba, Michigan, U.S. | |||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | |||||||||||||
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) | |||||||||||||
| Position | Centre | |||||||||||||
| Shot | Right | |||||||||||||
| Played for | Nova Scotia Voyageurs Flint Generals New Haven Nighthawks Fort Wayne Komets Oklahoma City Stars | |||||||||||||
| National team |  United States | |||||||||||||
| NHL draft | 176th overall, 1977 Montreal Canadiens | |||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1980–1982 | |||||||||||||
| Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
Mark Ronald Wells (September 18, 1957 – May 14, 2024) was an American professional ice hockey forward who was best known for being a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team.
Amateur career
[edit]Mark Wells graduated from Lake Shore High School in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, in 1975.[2] Wells then attended Bowling Green State University from 1975 to 1979 where he was a star forward with the Falcons in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Despite his abilities as a player, Wells did not receive a scholarship offer to play hockey until after his first season with the team.
Following the completion of his college career, Wells, along with Falcons teammate Ken Morrow, was selected to play on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey team that went on to win the gold medal at Lake Placid. Wells played centre on a line with Phil Verchota and Eric Strobel.[3]
Professional career
[edit]
Wells was selected 176th overall in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He joined Montreal's top farm team the Nova Scotia Voyageurs after the Olympics but was unable to secure a spot on the Canadiens roster. He was traded to the Detroit Red Wings after the 1980 season, however refused the assignment and was released from his contract.[4]
Wells then signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers but spent the next two seasons shifting around the minor leagues playing for the New Haven Nighthawks, Flint Generals, Fort Wayne Komets, and Oklahoma City Stars. Wells finally retired in 1982 without playing a single game in the NHL.
Post-playing career
[edit]Following his retirement from hockey, Wells worked as a restaurant manager in Rochester Hills, Michigan, but sustained a fractured vertebra while unloading crates. Following eleven hours of surgery, Wells was informed by the doctor that he had a rare degenerative spinal disease. The illness, which affects the disks in the spinal column, forced Wells to retire from work and required multiple surgeries, leaving him bed-ridden for extended periods and clinically depressed.[4] Wells did, however, manage to suit up for the reunion game with his 'Miracle on Ice' teammates before the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City—against doctor's orders, playing in one shift and recording a shot on goal.[5]
In 2010, financially struggling from medical bills and in need of finances for further surgery, Wells reluctantly sold his gold medal medallion to a private collector for $40,000. The medal was later auctioned off by the buyer for $310,700.[6][7] Having kept the medal on his nightstand for over twenty years, Wells expressed in a 2010 Daily News article how difficult a decision it had been to sell the medal: "It killed me to sell the medal. Killed me. But my life was crumbling. I was going to lose my home. I needed to sell it to have surgery and to live. I had no choice."[4]
In later years, Wells attended civic events and spoke at several special venues around his hometown and beyond, including the St Clair Shores Lions Club fundraiser, SCS Tree Lighting Ceremony in Dec 2014, and seminar at the Arsenal of Democracy. Additionally, he made appearances at state hockey tournaments and various collectors shows around the country. He resided in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Wells died on May 14, 2024, at the age of 66.[8][9]
Awards and achievements
[edit]| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-CCHA First Team | 1976–77 | [10] |
| All-CCHA First Team | 1978–79 | [10] |
- Olympic Gold Medal in Men's Ice Hockey, U.S. Men's Ice Hockey team: 1980[2]
- St. Clair Shores, Michigan, city officials rename the St. Clair Shores Civic Arena's Olympia Room as the Mark Wells Ice Rink: 2014[11]
In popular culture
[edit]Wells was featured in a 1981 TV movie about the 1980 U.S. hockey team called Miracle on Ice. Jeff Miller, a retired California State Assemblyman played Wells in the 1981 movie, and Wells himself appeared in archival footage of the gold medal ceremony used in the movie.
In the 2004 Disney film Miracle, he is portrayed by Joe Hemsworth.
Career statistics
[edit]Regular season and playoffs
[edit]| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1974–75 | Detroit Jr. Red Wings | SOJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Bowling Green Falcons | CCHA | 32 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Bowling Green Falcons | CCHA | 39 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Bowling Green Falcons | CCHA | 38 | 11 | 34 | 45 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Bowling Green Falcons | CCHA | 45 | 26 | 57 | 83 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | United States | Intl | 22 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | AHL | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Flint Generals | IHL | 19 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 67 | 14 | 29 | 43 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 19 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Oklahoma City Stars | CHL | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Flint Generals | IHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 76 | 15 | 29 | 44 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| IHL totals | 44 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
[edit]| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | United States | OG | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
References
[edit]- ^ 1980 Olympics Roster
- ^ a b Mark Wells: ‘I still can’t believe it’
- ^ Peters, Chris (February 19, 2020). "Inside the Miracle on Ice: How Team USA defied the numbers to beat the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympics". ESPN. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c Mark Wells' story goes from 'Miracle' to misery after helping United States beat Soviets in 1980
- ^ "HOCKEY; A 1980 Olympian Is Dreaming of His Miracle on Ice (Published 2002)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2018-10-28.
- ^ "Mark Wells' 'Miracle on Ice' Gold Medal Sells for $310,700". AOL. November 6, 2010. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
- ^ OlympicTalk (14 January 2020). "Another Miracle on Ice player's Olympic gold medal being auctioned". NBC Sports.
- ^ "Wells dies at 67, won gold medal with 'Miracle on Ice' team in 1980 Olympics | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. 2024-05-18. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
- ^ Mark Ronald Wells Anderson Funeral Homes
- ^ a b "CCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
- ^ St. Clair Shores to dedicate ice rink to Mark Wells
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Mark Wells @ hockeydraftcentral.com
- Mark Wells at Olympedia (archive)
