Islanders' Brock Nelson selected to Team USA for 4 Nations Face-Off

Brock Nelson will continue a family legacy.

“Super excited,” Nelson said on a Zoom call on Wednesday night after his selection to Team USA for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament was announced. “Happy to be a part and be in consideration for something like this. I haven’t talked to my grandpa yet but I’ll be giving him a call here soon. I know he’s jacked up.”

That would be Bill Christian, who along with Nelson’s great uncle, Roger Christian, were members of the 1960 Team USA squad that won Olympic gold in Squaw Valley, California. Nelson’s uncle Dave Christian played for the famed 1980 Miracle On Ice team that won gold at Lake Placid, N.Y.

Nelson was the lone Islander to be selected to the best-on-best international competition, also including Canada, Sweden and Finland, to be played in Montreal on Feb. 12-15 and in Boston on Feb. 17-20.

Meanwhile, Rangers forwards Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider were also named to the Team USA roster while forward Kaapo Kakko will play for Finland. The Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad, also a forward, was previously announced as one of the initial six players on Sweden’s roster and defenseman Adam Fox of Jericho was one of the first six named to Team USA.

“It’s a huge honor to put the United States’ crest on your shirt,” Trocheck said. “Representing your country is something everybody dreams of doing. I’ve been able – lucky enough – to play in a couple of (international tournaments) for Team USA. It’s a lot of fun.”

The tournament will be played instead of an NHL All-Star Game this season.

Nelson, from Warroad, Minnesota, said his relatives’ Olympic accomplishments were not talked about much while he was growing up. Within the family, at least.

“It’s not discussed a lot,” Nelson said. “But I think anybody who knows the family knows the history and knows a little bit about Warroad. The hockey culture gets talked about quite a bit. But, for me growing up, there wasn’t ever that kind of conversation of having any pressure or anything like that to represent the country.

“And then, as you get older, I remember the first couple of times I was able to see the gold medals, the movie “Miracle” comes out, you start to learn a little bit more about what my grandfather and my uncle accomplished in hockey and how important those events were. So anytime I’ve been able to, whether it was World Juniors or World Championships, wear “USA” it’s special and it means a lot. It definitely makes me think back and what they did when they were playing and how special it was.”

The Rangers’ five selections was tied for the third most in the NHL. The Stanley Cup-champion Panthers had eight players selected. Kakko said he was excited to compete against four of his NHL teammates.

“That (will) be nice to play against them,” Kakko said. “I mean, I’ve never played against them, you know? Always the same team.”

With Denis P. Gorman

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.