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JAN/FEB 2021 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 15 NWHL Places Season Hopes Inside A Bubble k There are miracles on ice and then there's the ambitious plan put forth by the National Women's Hockey League to cram an entire season, including playoffs, into a two- week bubble in Lake Placid, N.Y. The two-week season, which runs from Jan. 23 to Feb. 5, will feature the league's six teams facing off against each other inside Herb Brooks Arena, the site of the U.S. victory at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. There will be no fans in attendance and participants will receive regular COVID-19 testing while following protocols established by infectious disease doctors at NYU Langone Health. The league initially planned for each team to play a full 20-game season beginning in January with the Isobel Cup playoffs completed in March. Players were given the opportunity to opt out and still receive their full salaries, though the league said that 95 percent of players have committed to playing. "At a time of hyper- growth for girls' and women's hockey, we see this season as a celebration of the sport," said NWHL Interim Commissioner Tyler Tumminia. According to the NWHL, teams will arrive in Lake Placid in a staggered schedule on Jan. 21 and 22. Beginning Jan. 23, each team will play five games (one against each team in the league), followed by a playoff round to determine the four teams advancing to the semifinals. The winners will advance to the Isobel Cup Final on Feb. 5. The complete schedule, broadcast information, and additional details will be made available in the weeks leading up to the season. P NWHL USA HOCKEY USA Hockey Loses International Icon Art Berglund, whose roles with USA Hockey as an administrator spanned parts of five decades, passed away on Dec. 19 at the age of 80. Berglund, who was part of the staff of more than 30 U.S. teams, including six Olympic squads and eight National Junior Teams, had a widespread impact on the U.S. international hockey scene since 1973. Berglund played college hockey at Colorado College before embarking on a pro career in Switzerland and Austria. Several years later he was hired by William Thayer Tutt to work at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs. In 1984, he joined USA Hockey's national office staff as its director of national teams and international activities and was eventually named senior director of international administration in 1996. In 1992, the NHL awarded Berglund its Lester Patrick Award for his outstanding contributions to the sport of hockey in the United States, and was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.