CALGARY, Alberta — When Brock Nelson was a kid, he’d see pictures of his family at the local rink in Warroad, Minnesota.
His grandpa, Bill Christian, and his great-uncle, Roger Christian, at Squaw Valley; another great-uncle, Gordon Christian, at Cortina d’Ampezzo; his uncle, Dave Christian, at Lake Placid. There were plaques commemorating the gold medals they’d won with Team USA in hockey in 1960 and 1980 and the silver Gordon won in 1956.
“Growing up, I never really thought much of it,” Nelson told The Post after the Islanders practiced Monday in Calgary. “… But then as you grow up and you start to see how big what they accomplished [was] in terms of winning gold and what that meant for the country, it took on a whole new meaning and new perspective.
“So any time — even World Championships — for me, I get the opportunity to represent my country, it definitely makes me think of that, my family, how much they meant to the game, how much they mean to me as role models and people I look up to.”
Two weeks from Wednesday, Nelson will find out whether he’ll have the chance to represent Team USA at the first international best-on-best tournament since 2016 — this February’s Four Nations Tournament.
After the NHL bowed out of the Beijing Olympics in 2022 due to pandemic-related concerns, the tournament between the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland that will take place in lieu of an All-Star Game has been a precursor to the league’s participation in the 2026 Milan Games.
Nelson, who has 10 points in the season’s first 18 games going into Tuesday’s match against the Flames, likely will be either one of the last few names on either side of the cutline for Team USA.
Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel already were named to the team in June and play down the middle, and the Devils’ Jack Hughes is likely to play center for the Americans as well. Nelson — along with Detroit’s Dylan Larkin, Buffalo’s Tage Thompson and the Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck — should be in the mix for what would be a fourth-line role, though he could also be an option to play on the wing.
Bill Christian, Nelson’s grandfather, was in attendance for Saturday’s loss to the Kraken, bringing his family ties front of mind.
After their playing careers ended, the Christian brothers started a hockey stick factory in Warroad, with the sticks being used regularly by NHLers through the 1990s.
“My grandpa, he’s got quite a few [stories]. They have a lot from Christian Brothers, when they started the stick factory back home,” Nelson said. “I think he actually remembers selling some sticks to [Isles GM] Lou [Lamoriello] at one point, when Lou was at Providence.
“The hockey world is such a funny, small community. My grandpa knows so many people around the hockey world at all different levels. It’s always fun to have him and just be able to hang out with him and hear stories of when he played. I remember him saying back in the day, stuffing shin pads with newspapers and different things like that. Now to have him, he follows my career extremely close. I get text messages all the time from him wishing me good luck or good game.”
Nelson represented Team USA at World Junior Championships — and recalled tryouts were held at Lake Placid — winning bronze in 2011. He’s also gone to World Championships five times, including last summer.
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If he makes the Four Nations, that would be his first time wearing the Stars and Stripes for a best-on-best competition.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of hype around it,” Nelson said. “For me, it’s worrying about playing here and being the best part of the team I can here. Anything else beyond that is a bonus.”
But?
“… To have those opportunities and go play for USA, it’s special,” he said. “These big ones, obviously, you track it and follow it ’cause you want to see the guys, whoever’s representing the country, to win another gold. Add to that history.”
