Today in History revisits a story about Arvid Pavar, a shoe repairman in Grand Forks, ND, plays a crucial behind-the-scenes role in the University of North Dakota’s (UND) hockey team. By day, he runs a shoe repair shop, but after hours, he mends and restores damaged hockey equipment for the team. Without his quick repairs, team manager Dave Kamrowski says the Sioux would struggle, as sending equipment elsewhere for fixes would take weeks.
A native of Latvia, Pavar learned shoe and equipment repair in Europe before moving to North Dakota in the 1950s. Read the full story from March 27, 1980 edition of the Obituary below.
He’s the best darn reason the Sioux hang together so well
By Terry Sauer, Herald Staff Writer
If you had just caught a glimpse of Arvid Pavar laboring behind his sewing machine, you would never know he had a hand in the University of North Dakota’s (UND) hockey success.
But without him, according to UND team manager Dave Kamrowski, the Sioux hockey team would be in dire straits.
During the day, Pavar operates a shoe repair shop at 609 Fifth St. in Grand Forks. But after hours, his shop transforms into a repair station for UND hockey equipment.
Though he doesn’t attend many games, Pavar is one of the team’s most loyal supporters, working late nights to fix ripped jerseys, torn pads, worn-out gloves, and damaged skates. Kamrowski says that without Pavar, damaged gear would take weeks to be repaired elsewhere, but Pavar ensures it’s ready by 1 p.m. the next day.
Pavar, a native of Latvia, gained experience in shoe and hockey equipment repair in Europe before moving to Devils Lake, ND, in the 1950s and settling in Grand Forks in 1957. He has worked with six different UND hockey coaches, each with their own equipment preferences.
He takes pride in helping the team succeed, saying, “If I didn’t do it, they’d be in a lot of trouble.” While he charges modestly for his services, he doesn’t count the hours, only ensuring the work is completed on time.
Kamrowski notes that gloves are the most frequently repaired items, often needing re-palming up to three times per season. Pavar also frequently fixes hockey pants and skates.
Though Pavar owns a ticket to the Sioux games, he often skips attending due to his busy repair workload. But that doesn’t bother him—his focus is helping the team win, which is all that matters to him.
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