Brock Nelson completes a family circle as a third‑generation Olympian in Milan
brock nelson is skating in his Olympic debut for the United States in Milan‑Cortina, scoring twice in a tournament opener against Latvia and assisting in a six‑goal win over Denmark as he carries a family legacy that stretches back to gold medals in 1960 and 1980.
Brock Nelson’s family legacy stretches from Squaw Valley to Milano
Nelson is the latest member of the Christian‑Nelson family from Warroad, Minn., a. k. a. Hockeytown USA. His grandfather, Bill Christian, was a forward on the U. S. team that won gold at Squaw Valley in 1960 and is now 88 years old. Bill’s sons and brothers also had storied Olympic careers: Dave Christian, Nelson’s uncle, won gold with the 1980 team and wore #30 on his jersey; Roger Christian, Dave’s uncle, was part of the 1960 gold team; and another great uncle, Gordon Christian, won a silver medal in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Dave Christian watched at Milano Santagiulia on a return to the Olympics
At 66 years old, Dave Christian walked into Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Saturday night with a smile. It was his first time at an Olympics since he and his Miracle on Ice teammates lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony in Salt Lake City in 2002, and his first in‑person Olympic hockey game since Feb. 24, 1980, when he assisted on the tying and winning goals in a third‑period comeback over Finland at the Olympic Field House in Lake Placid. Herb Brooks had moved Christian from forward to defense less than two months before that 1980 Olympics.
NHL center, Olympic debut and recent team moves
Nelson, age 34, is one of 25 men representing Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan‑Cortina and is playing center for the Colorado Avalanche after being traded there on March 6, 2025. Prior to the trade he played for the New York Islanders after being drafted into the NHL in 2010. Photographs from the event were credited to Heinz Kluetmeier / Sports Illustrated Getty Images and Gregory Shamus / Getty Images.
On‑ice moments: goals, assists and a semifinal faceoff
Nelson scored two goals in the United States’ tournament‑opening win over Latvia and assisted on one of six goals in the win over Denmark. A Getty photograph shows Martin Pospisil #76 of Team Slovakia and Brock Nelson #29 of Team United States taking a faceoff in the third period during the Men’s Semifinals Playoff between the United States and Slovakia on day fourteen of Milano Cortina 2026 at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Anniversaries line up: 1960, 1980 and a 2026 gold‑game date
The U. S. Olympic hockey calendar in Milan‑Cortina has literal anniversaries in play. The 1960 Lake Placid gold came on February 22, 1960, and the Miracle on Ice upset of the Soviet Union — a 4–3 win often called the most famous game in Olympic hockey — occurred on February 22, 1980, when Jim Craig #30, Dave Christian #30, Mark Wells #15 and Mike Ramsey #5 defended the goal against Viktor Zhluktov #22. The 2026 gold medal game between the United States and Canada will be played on the 46th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice game on February 22, 1980, meaning Nelson will be playing for gold on anniversaries of both his uncle’s and his grandfather’s Olympic wins.
Family in the stands and plans to visit Cortina
After the Saturday win, Nelson skated to the corner of the rink and looked up into Sections B12 and B13 — the U. S. family section — where he saw his wife, Karley, their four kids, his brother Blayke, his mother Jeri, and his uncle Dave and aunt Lisa. "I saw him, " Nelson said, his eyes welling. "I saw him waving on my way out. I'm so proud that he came all the way here to support me and share this with me. " Gordon Christian’s children are arriving at the Olympics on Monday to support their cousin and plan to take a train to Cortina to experience where their dad won an Olympic medal. Forty‑five hundred miles away, Bill Christian was watching.
Nelson said he only fully noticed the family history recently: "I didn’t even put two and two together until somebody mentioned it to me in the summer, " he said. "Pretty cool that it’s just a full circle moment here now for our family and the opportunity that I have. It’s really crazy when you think about it that we have five family members as Olympians with my grandpa, his two brothers, his son and now me. "
Next on the schedule is the United States’ path toward the gold‑medal match against Canada, set to fall on the anniversary of the Miracle on Ice on February 22, 1980.
