A former Fort Frances man who was played key roles with USA Hockey has died.
Art Berglund was 80.
Berglund joined USA Hockey in 1972 and would serve several positions with US Olympic, World Championship and World Juniors teams over the next five decades.
He retired in 2005 though continued to serve as a part-time advisor to international competition for the next decade.
His contributions to the sport would earn him several accolades, including named winner of the NHL’s Lester Pearson Award in 1992.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman calls him one of the true builders of the game that has lost a true friend.
As a player, Berglund was a member of the Colorado College Tigers before ending his career overseas in Switzerland and Austria in the 1960s.
His accomplishments would earn honours at several sports halls, including the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of the Fame, the US Hockey Hall of Fame, and the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame.
He was also among the first to be recognized when the Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame was created in 2015.
