Nelson joins ‘incredible’ family legacy with Team USA Olympic gold

MILAN -- Brock Nelson is part of the club.

“To be an Olympic champion, you really can’t describe how special it is,” the Team USA forward from the Colorado Avalanche said.

Nelson’s grandfather can describe it. Bill Christian won gold with Team USA in 1960.

His late great uncle surely used to describe it. Roger Christian, Bill’s older brother, was also part of the 1960 team.

Nelson’s uncle can absolutely describe it. Dave Christian won gold with the “Miracle on Ice” team in 1980.

Nelson is now an Olympic gold medalist too, playing 14:50, including a huge role on Team USA’s perfect penalty kill, in a 2-1 overtime win against Team Canada in the gold medal game at Santagiulia Arena on Sunday.

“It’s incredible,” Dave Christian told NHL.com in a quick phone conversation from a celebratory Team USA Winter House 3 1/2 hours after the game. “Absolutely incredible. A dream come true.”

Dave Christian said before the tournament that it would be “a dream scenario, beyond what you could ever imagine,” if his nephew were to win a gold medal here.

“We certainly would welcome the opportunity to say, 'Hey, Brock, welcome to the club,’” he said at the time.

Christian got a chance to do that right after the game, briefly embracing Nelson with the rest of his family after the gold medals were awarded -- on the 46th anniversary of the Americans’ improbable 4-3 victory against the Soviet Union in the medal round.

“I just said, ‘We did it,’” Nelson said of his moment with his uncle. “Crazy that it was 46 years to the day when they beat the Russians.

“Pretty emotional.”

Nelson didn’t have a chance to embrace his grandfather on Sunday because Bill Christian, now 88 years old, was unable to attend the Olympics because of travel difficulties at his age.

But Nelson said he surely already had a text message from him. His grandfather sends him messages after every game he plays, and he couldn’t wait to call him.

“He’s proud,” Nelson said. “It’s going to be special. It’ll be a fun conversation when I get to call him. I know he’ll be choked up, which will make me choke up.

“He means the world to me. Yeah, crazy to be here now and share this with him. I know he’s at home watching and not here, but my uncle is here and he was emotional. It’s going to be really fun to see my grandpa and embrace him.”

Nelson said he plans to bring the gold medal home to Warroad, Minnesota, at some point to lay it beside the other three gold medals in the family.

“I hope we get them together, a nice picture and tell stories from all different angles,” he said.

Nelson was also eager to get to his immediate family, wife Kayley and their four children, who are all here.

He said his son Beckett, now 7 years old, was devasted when the U.S. lost to Canada in overtime of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship last year, so he couldn’t wait to see the joy on his face.

“He lives it and he wears it on his sleeve,” Nelson said. “He gets emotional, even back in Colorado too. It’s going to be fun to see them after this and really take it in and share this with them because they mean the world to me. It’s incredible.”

Nelson’s teammates were aware of the family history, so much so defenseman Charlie McAvoy jokingly called him “the X-factor” because USA Hockey “can’t win one of these without him.

“We were not going to win this without a Nelson from the family tree,” McAvoy said.

That might have to happen in 2030, though. Even Nelson knows that.

He’s 34 years old.

“I’m not naïve to think I’m not old in the game,” he said. “To have this opportunity, I mean for me, once in a lifetime. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity. You never know how long you’re going to play. You don’t know if you’re going to get an opportunity. But here we are.”

Part of the club.