Isles Longread: Brock Star

Right before Brock Nelson started smashing targets in the accuracy shooting challenge, the New York Islanders center found his family in the crowd.
The 31-year-old, who'd been flying under the radar for almost the entirety of his 10-year NHL career, made sure to have a big contingent with him in South Florida. He gave a wave to his wife Karley, two of his four kids and a group that included his mom, Jeri and his grandfather, Billy.
The family watched with pride as Nelson won the accuracy shooting challenge. They'd known for a long time about Nelson's sharpshooting even if fans that hadn't paid attention over the past few years were just finding out.

For Billy Christian it must have been especially satisfying to watch his grandson compete in and win the accuracy shooting.
Christian and Nelson have spent a lot of time in rinks together, indoor and outdoor, professional, collegiate, amateur and international. They've even spent time together at FLA Live Arena, the venue for All-Star Weekend, as Christian, who lives in Naples, FL, routinely makes the trip to watch his grandson whenever the Islanders visit the Florida Panthers.
The NHL All-Star Game is a new experience though, for both of them. Nelson is a first-time All-Star, one of the Islanders three representatives. For Christian, Nelson is the second all-star in the family, as his son, Dave Christian, was an all-star in 1991. Christian can't remember why he wasn't able to attend Dave's all-star weekend back in the year Nelson was born, but he wasn't going to miss this, especially when he had such a hand in helping the Islanders' forward get to this point.
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