Former Colorado College standout Art Berglund '63, who has had a widespread impact on the sport of ice hockey worldwide for half a century, is among seven individuals who will be inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame on May 15.
Joining Berglund in the IIHF Class of 2008 are Americans Cammi Granato and Angela James, along with Geraldine Heaney and Mario Lemieux of Canada, Igor Larionov of Russia and Philippe Bozon of France. The induction will take place in Quebec City in conjunction with the finals of the IIHF Men's World Championship.
Berglund, a native of Fort Frances, Ontario, tied for the CC scoring lead with 37 points (18g,19a) as a senior in 1962-63 and is a member of school's Athletic Hall of Fame . His career in international ice hockey spans portions of five decades, during which time he has managed or served on the administrative staff of more than 30 U.S. teams in a variety of tournaments worldwide.
Berglund served as USA Hockey's director of national teams and international activities for 11 years before being named senior director of international administration in 1996.
His start in international ice hockey came soon after his graduation in 1963. After a brief professional playing stint in Switzerland and Austria, Berglund was hired by Thayer Tutt to work at the Broadmoor World Arena. Tutt was instrumental in bringing the first Soviet teams to the USA for international competition, and Berglund was their host.
Berglund went on to manage the World Arena for 13 years and, during that time, served USA Hockey in a variety of capacities. He managed the 1973, 1974 and 1975 U.S. National Teams before accepting his first Olympic assignment as general manager of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Team.
Moving to the NHL during parts of the 1970s and '80s, Berglund was enlisted by the St. Louis Blues as a U.S. scout and by the Colorado Rockies as director of player recruitment.
In 1977, Berglund was named general manager of the first U.S. National Junior Team. It was a position he would hold a total of eight times.
The 1980s and '90s were full of senior-level international assignments for Berglund. He handled general manager duties with six U.S. National Teams along with the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team. He was also assistant general manager for the 1981 and 1991 U.S. Canada Cup Teams, as well as the 1983 U.S. National Team. He chaired the 1984 U.S. Olympic Player Selection Committee and was director of player personnel for the 1992 and 1994 U.S. Olympic Teams.
In 1990, Berglund served as chair of the ice hockey competition for the Goodwill Games in Seattle, where Team USA won the silver medal. He also oversaw the organization of the U.S. National Team that captured the bronze medal at the 1996 IIHF World Championship. He was GM of the 1998 U.S. Select Team, which finished in first place at the IIHF A-Pool World Championship Qualification Tournament in Klagenfurt, Austria.
As director of player personnel, Berglund helped engineer a silver medal for the 2002 U.S. Men's Ice Hockey Team at the XIX Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.
He received the NHL's prestigious Lester Patrick Award in 1992 for outstanding contributions to the sport of ice hockey in America. In addition, the American Hockey Coaches Association named Berglund winner of the 2000 Jim Fullerton Award, which annually recognizes an individual who demonstrates a love for the purity of the sport.
He was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Colorado College Athletic HOF in 2006. Berglund retired from his full-time job at USA Hockey as its senior director of international administration on June 30, 2005, but still serves as a consultant to the organization while continuing to live in Colorado Springs with his wife, Char.
