Mark Ronald Wells (born September 18, 1957) is an

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former professional

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who is best known for being a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team.

Amateur career

Mark Wells graduated from

Lake Shore High School Lake Shore High School is a high school located in the lakefront community of St. Clair Shores, Michigan. The school, a part of Lake Shore Public Schools, serves grades 9–12. The mascot for Lake Shore are the Shorians. Lake Shore High School ...

St. Clair Shores St. Clair Shores is a suburban city bordering Lake St. Clair in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms a part of the Metro Detroit area, and is located about northeast of downtown Detroit. Its population was 59,715 at the 2010 ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

in 1975.Mark Wells: ‘I still can’t believe it’
/ref> Wells then attended

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

from 1975 to 1979 where he was a star forward with the

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in the

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. 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 Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in ...

, 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.

Professional career

Wells was selected 176th overall in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft by the

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. He joined Montreal's top farm team the

Nova Scotia Voyageurs The Nova Scotia Voyageurs were a professional ice hockey team, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atl ...

after the Olympics but was unable to secure a spot on the Canadiens roster. He was traded to the

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after the 1980 season, however refused the assignment and was released from his contract.Mark Wells' story goes from 'Miracle' to misery after helping United States beat Soviets in 1980
/ref> Wells then signed as a free agent with the

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but spent the next two seasons shifting around the minor leagues playing for the

New Haven Nighthawks The New Haven Nighthawks were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1972 to 1992. They had affiliations with the Minnesota North Stars (1972–1977), New York Islanders (1972–1973), New York Rangers (19 ...

Flint Generals The Flint Generals were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan. They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at Perani Arena and Event Center. The Generals won two league championship ...

Fort Wayne Komets The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League, the original Inte ...

and

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. Wells finally retired in 1982 without playing a single game in the NHL.

After playing career

Following his retirement from hockey, Wells worked as a restaurant manager in

Rochester Hills, Michigan Rochester Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 76,300. It is the 14th-largest city in Michigan. The area was first occupied by settlers of European descent in 1 ...

, 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 has required multiple surgeries, leaving him bed-ridden for extended periods and clinically depressed. Wells did, however, manage to suit up for the reunion game with his '

Miracle on Ice The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's hockey tourna ...

' teammates prior to the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...

in Salt Lake City—against doctor's orders, playing in one shift and recording a shot on goal. 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. 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." Wells is now attending civic events and has spoken at several special venues around his hometown and beyond, including St Clair Shores Lions Club fundraiser, SCS Tree Lighting Ceremony in Dec 2014 and seminar at the Arsenal of Democracy. Additionally, he has made appearances at state hockey tournaments and various collectors shows around the country. Mark Wells currently resides in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Awards and achievements

*Olympic Gold Medal in Men's Ice Hockey, U.S. Men's Ice Hockey team: 1980 *

, city officials rename the St. Clair Shores Civic Arena's Olympia Room as the Mark Wells Ice Rink: 2014St. Clair Shores to dedicate ice rink to Mark Wells
/ref>

In popular culture

Wells is featured in a

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

TV movie about the 1980 U.S. hockey team called ''

''. Jeff Miller, a retired CA State Assemblyman played Mark Wells in the 1981 movie and Wells himself appeared in archival footage of the gold medal ceremony used in the movie. In the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

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film ''

Miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

'', he is portrayed by Joe Hemsworth.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

*
Mark Wells @ hockeydraftcentral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Mark 1957 births 1980 US Olympic ice hockey team American men's ice hockey centers Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey players Flint Generals players Fort Wayne Komets players Ice hockey players from Michigan Ice hockey players at the 1980 Winter Olympics Living people Medalists at the 1980 Winter Olympics Montreal Canadiens draft picks New Haven Nighthawks players Nova Scotia Voyageurs players Oklahoma City Stars players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in ice hockey People from St. Clair Shores, Michigan Sportspeople from Metro Detroit