Brock Nelson was destined to play Olympic hockey. Although it may be a cliché to mention his family ties, his performance with the Colorado Avalanche earned him a spot on the Team USA roster.
“It’s a bonus to be a part of it. Representing your country, that’s the ultimate honor. I’m willing to just do whatever,” Nelson said. “When I think about my game, I just try to play both sides — both defensively, offensively, contribute, be a difference maker.”
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The Avs struggled in January with injuries and losses, but Nelson elevated his game. He had 18 points in 14 games for the month and was held scoreless for just two matchups.
“That’s a guy I don’t see how you can leave off. There’s lots of goal scorers out there. They’re still rounding out the rest of their game, but he certainly deserves to be there. There’s no question for me. And I think he’s going to have a great Olympics,” head coach Jared Bednar said.
The 34-year-old has scored 29 goals and provided 20 assists, totaling 49 points in 55 games with the Avalanche this season. Averaging over 19 minutes of ice time per game, the 6-foot-4 forward is crucial on special teams.
“He does a lot of things away from the puck, too, that are pretty special. He can skate (and) covers a lot of ice. We rely on him in a bunch of defensive situations, including penalty kill. When you’re talking about well-rounded players that can score, he’s scoring this year, and his checking game is impeccable,” Bednar said.
Olympic hockey is in Brock Nelson’s bloodline
The Warroad, Minnesota native continues an Olympic family tradition — his uncle, Dave Christian, was on the gold medal-winning 1980 U.S. hockey team, and his great-uncle, Roger Christian, won gold in 1960 and competed twice for Team USA. His grandfather, Bill Christian, was a gold medalist in 1960 and a competitor in 1964, and his great-uncle, Gord Christian, won silver in 1956.
“My uncle’s going over for a bit of it. My grandpa is super emotional, which is a fun conversation to be a part of. Big supporter and big fan for me. He tracks each and every game here, sends me good luck texts every game. It means the world to him,” Nelson said. “I never thought of him anything more as grandpa. But obviously, he wrote some history himself, being a part of the ’60 team with his brother. Always just been a great mentor and role model for me.”
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Nelson is the only Avalanche player on Team USA, but this won’t be his first time competing against his teammates. In last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, he played against Team Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Devon Toews.
He may also face Gabriel Landeskog on Team Sweden, Martin Necas on Team Czechia, and Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Kiviranta on Team Finland.