Rodney Paavola
Rodney Earland Paavola ( born August 21, 1939 in Hancock, Michigan; † 3 December 1995) was an American professional ice hockey player. At the Olympic Winter Games in 1960 he won the gold medal as a member of the U.S. national team.
Career
Rodney Paavola began his career as a hockey player with the Troy Bruins, for which he was active in the season 1957/58 in the International Hockey League. From 1958 to 1960, the defender for Team USA took part in the Olympic preparation. In the 1960/61 season he played for the Muskegon Zephyrs in the IHL. He spent the following season with the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League before the IHL he stood for another two years for his former team Muskegon Zephyrs on the ice. Following the 1965/66 season, he had spent at the Dayton Gems in the IHL, the Americans finished at the age of 27 years of his career.
Internationally
For the U.S., Paavola participated in the Olympic Winter Games in 1960 in part in Squaw Valley, where he won the gold medal with his team. In addition, he was in his country's squad at the World Championships in 1959.