Mason Bergh small on talk, big on action to aid local youth

(Photo by Casey B. Gibson)



If anything points to glaring generational disparities between Mason Bergh and post-millennials, it may be taste in literature.

The second-year Colorado College men’s hockey captain cites the Harry Potter series as his favorite book. He was 12 years old when the final installment of J.K. Rowling’s groundbreaking seven-part saga hit stores in 2007.

Nearly twice that age today, he admits that for all of his volunteerism with children, he has yet to meet anyone sharing that interest.

So much for theory-based conversations on how wizards might translate their quidditch skills to hockey, or at least broomball. But that will not threaten Bergh’s devotion to Colorado Springs-area youth, even as his window of time there diminishes.

This much is all but certain for the coming spring: Bergh will graduate, and something he played a small role in building will become reality.

May 19 is the big day for Bergh, whose off-ice legacy includes fundraising for a new Colorado Springs children’s hospital. Although no concrete date has been announced, the hospital’s opening remains on track for late spring. That time has been set since the building’s groundbreaking early in Bergh’s sophomore year.

Where he will physically be by that point is tougher to prognosticate. Bergh is blinking on the NCAA class of 2019’s free-agent radar. A repeat Hobey Baker candidate and 2019 Lowe’s Senior CLASS nominee, he has a professional pact within hooking distance.

Any of the NHL’s 31 organizations could sign him. Or he could easily latch on with a talent-starved lower-level or overseas squad. Of those scenarios, only a one- or two-way pact with Denver’s Colorado Avalanche or their AHL affiliate further north, the Colorado Eagles, could keep him remotely close to his alma mater.

Nonetheless, the Minnesota transplant pledges to keep Southern Colorado close to his heart. In an email to Pucks and Recreation, he offered, “In the future, even if it is not directly related to my professional life, I will always try to help children and continue to be involved in the Colorado Springs area.”

Bergh’s stinginess on substance when reached by this outlet may merely underscore his time’s premium status. As his Senior CLASS resume highlights, he has already secured three slots on the NCHC and national all-scholar teams.

(Photo by Casey B. Gibson)

He has never missed CC’s dean’s list, and is currently defending the Paul Markovich Award as his squad’s top student. He attained the latter while swelling his point tally from 24 in 2016-17 to 40 in 2017-18.

And then, over the offseason, he lent his presence to Colorado Springs for the up-and-coming hospital’s most touted fundraiser. Joining teammate Ben Israel and women’s soccer Tigers Rachael Martino and Jade Odom, he volunteered at the Climb for Courage. The annual race, which will return this June, entails trekking the staircases of the Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium.

Bergh was there for the climb’s fourth edition last June 23, the month’s penultimate Saturday. He spent the next week in metro New York as an-large invitee to the Rangers’ development camp.

Back to finish what he started with his studies, Bergh has yet to see the site of the new facility. But the testaments to his and hundreds of others’ involvement continue to glacially emerge.

This past Thursday, Children’s Hospital Colorado’s Twitter account announced more than 80 job vacancies for its Colorado Springs chapter. When it opens, the new base will be “The lone pediatric-only hospital in Southern Colorado.”

In the meantime, Bergh leads his fellow CC pucksters in visits to facilities serving the same purpose. Two days prior to Thanksgiving, the captain and four other Tigers toured the children’s ward of Penrose Hospital (whose namesake is the same as NCAA hockey’s coach-of-the-year award).

“The most rewarding part of participating in these events is the smile you can put on a kid’s face by just hanging out with them,” Bergh offered.

The same goes for when he can fill a shift for CC’s recurring Parents’ Night Out promotions. Through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Tigers of each sport will entertain local children on campus on up to a quarterly basis for up to five hours at a time.

To date, Bergh says he has partaken in every Parents’ Night Out not overlapping with a team road trip. As with the hospital-oriented outings, “it is a way to reach out and be active with the children in the Colorado Springs region.”

“Understanding the position I am in and the impact I can make on a kid’s life is why I have a passion for working with children,” he added.