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FAMILY HISTORY At 33 years old, this is something quite special for Nelson, who comes from a hockey-rich family. Nelson's uncle, Dave Christian, was on the 1980 U.S. Miracle on Ice gold-medal winning team from Lake Placid and played over 1,000 games in the NHL. Nelson's grandfather, Bill Christian, and great uncle, Roger Christian, were both on the 1960 gold-medal team in Squaw Valley and co-founded Christian Brothers, the former hockey sticks company out of Warroad. Nelson's great uncle, Gordon Christian, won a silver medal at the 1956 Olympics in Italy. Nelson's mom, Jeri, was a figure skater and his wife, Karley, was named Ms. Hockey Minnesota in 1993 after playing for Warroad and then going on to play hockey at the University of Wisconsin. "I was super pumped when I got the call," said Nelson, who got a surprise phone call from Guerin on Thanksgiving Day. "I know (my Uncle Dave) is jacked up. He follows my career extremely close. Huge honor. Anytime you can represent your country, and obviously with the history of my grandpa and my uncle, it means a lot." Some hockey fans were surprised Nelson made the team with the likes of players like Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck over goal scorers like Cole Caufield and Tage Thompson. But Guerin and his large staff that includes New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald, New York Rangers GM Chris Drury, Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito and Wild assistant GM Chris Kelleher believe Nelson is a chameleon, somebody who can play wing or center, up and down the lineup, on the power play and penalty kill and conform to being a role player. He can win big draws, protect leads and defend hard. Nelson isn't thinking about the Olympics yet. That's way too far into the future, but he does dream of what it would like to win gold in a tournament like that like his grandfather and uncle. "You see their gold medals and see the movie, Miracle, and you start to learn a little more what my grandfather and uncle accomplished in hockey and how important those events were," Nelson said. "You started to see the significance and the importance a little more and appreciate it more and more as time passed. "Anytime I've been able to, whether its World Juniors or World Championships, wear the USA, it's special and means a lot and definitely makes me think back to those two and what they did when they were playing and how special it was." 28 Russo's Rants M H J ON L I N E . C O M | J A N / F E B 2 0 2 5 Photos / USA Hockey, New York Islanders "I know (my Uncle Dave) is jacked up. He follows my career extremely close. Huge honor. Anytime you can represent your country, and obviously with the history of my grandpa and my uncle, it means a lot." – Brock Nelson 1960 U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Bill Christian joined his grandson Brock Nelson in the Islanders locker room in 2017. Brock Nelson's uncle Dave Christian was a member of the 1980 Miracle on Ice.