The phrase “hockey is a family business” almost feels inadequate to describe Brock Nelson’s life growing up in Warroad, Minn.
Nelson’s grandfather, two great uncles and uncle have all played for the United States in the Winter Olympics. His grandfather and one of his great uncles founded a company that made hockey sticks for decades.
When he was 12 years old, one of the greatest hockey movies ever made, “Miracle,” was released in theaters. “Uncle Dave” was one of the main characters.
“I remember when I was younger and I saw his (gold) medal for the first time,” Nelson said. “I never really viewed him as anything other than Uncle Dave at the time. But then the movie came out, and you hear more about the story and learn more about it. It was a pivotal time for the country, and what those guys did was incredible and special.”
Nelson’s uncle is Dave Christian, who was part of the 1980 U.S. team that won gold in Lake Placid, N.Y. His grandfather and great-uncle, Bill and Roger Christian, were members of the 1960 U.S. team that won gold in Squaw Valley, Calif. One of their brothers, Gord, won a silver medal with the 1956 U.S. team in Italy.
A few years after their Olympic heroics, Bill and Roger founded Christian Brothers Hockey Sticks back in Warroad. For decades, it was a top supplier of customized wooden sticks.
“I still just view them as family members and my support system,” Nelson said. “My grandpa still watches my games and texts me all the time. He’s a great guy. I’ve been fortunate to have them in my life.
“He had the Christian Brothers factory, and I was running around there all the time, playing with different sticks. We would have half days of school, and we’d go skate together at (Gardens Arena). He taught me about just loving the game and having fun.”
Nelson still has some old Christian sticks at home that he’s kept as souvenirs. The boy who grew up immersed in hockey went on to North Dakota and then a long, productive NHL career with the New York Islanders. He and his wife, Karley Sylvester, who also played at Warroad High before four years at Wisconsin, grew to love Long Island, as did their four kids.
Now, Nelson is adjusting to a new reality. A trade the night before the March 8 deadline from the only organization he’d ever known moved him across the country, but also into a pivotal position with a Stanley Cup contender in the Colorado Avalanche.
“My wife and I were just sitting there (shortly after the trade) and saying how crazy it is that all of a sudden, life just changes like that,” he said. “Now you’re here in an environment where it’s one of the top teams in the league, so just joining these guys and trying to help them is exciting.”
“Annoyingly good at everything”
Nelson has done plenty to establish himself as one of the top centers in the NHL. He had nearly 300 goals in 901 regular-season games with the Islanders. He was one of the team’s most productive players during the playoffs, including back-to-back runs to the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and 2021.
He’s big. He’s fast. He’s smart. His work ethic is unmatched. The family background and support system certainly didn’t hurt.
His athletic prowess also extends far beyond the ice.
“Just one of those guys who is annoyingly good at everything,” former Islanders goalie Cory Schneider said. “Anything he picks up, he’s just good at and he’s got that hand-eye skill coordination. He’s not arrogant or cocky about it. It’s just frustrating because you try to beat him in all these other little games.
“Especially during COVID — we had nothing else to do, so we’d play ping-pong for hours. I would get a couple, but normally he’d have his way and kick my (butt). It would just get so frustrating. I’d be like, ‘Let’s go again.’ We’d have a full sweat going at the Ping-Pong table. He’s a pain in the (butt) competitively, which is a great thing.”
When Nelson arrived in Denver, there was one guy in the Avs locker room who knew about his abilities beyond hockey. Devon Toews spent his first two seasons in the NHL with Nelson and the Islanders.
They are good friends, and Toews had been helping to pitch Nelson on the idea of finishing out the last season of his contract with the Avs. Toews cites Nelson as one of the guys who showed him the ropes in the NHL and helped him become a professional hockey player.
“He’s just a pure athlete,” Toews said. “Great tennis player, good soccer player, good pickleball player, good golfer, just an all-around athlete who is good at everything. He picks things up really quick. Guys will think they’ve got him at something, and then within a month or two, they are thinking differently about the things they were saying.
“In New York, we played a lot of ‘soccer tennis’ and he would just destroy everybody. Nobody else was 6-3 with long legs and athletic as him.”
Nelson is the latest addition to slot into the No. 2 center role behind Nathan MacKinnon. It’s been a bit of a revolving door since Nazem Kadri left after the Stanley Cup-winning season in 2022. It looked like Casey Mittelstadt would be the long-term answer after arriving at the deadline last season and signing a three-year contract, but he was shipped out as part of the Avalanche’s overhaul.
Colorado paid a significant price for Nelson, giving up another potential No. 2 center in top prospect Calum Ritchie, a future first-round pick and potentially a third-rounder as well.
“He’s a guy that I played against a lot with the (New Jersey) Devils and never really fully appreciated his skill set and like the entire package,” Schneider said. “Then I got to the Islanders and got to watch him closely, practice against him. I don’t say he was way better than I thought, but he definitely impressed me.
“He’s a great skater. He’s got a deceptively hard, accurate shot. He can make plays. He’s pretty slippery for a big guy. He’s got a little bit of jam to him as well. He’s not afraid to give you a shot or mix it up a little bit. For me, he’s like the perfect second-line center on a good team, which is exactly what Colorado wanted and got and paid for.”
“It will sort itself out”
Nelson is in the final season of a six-year, $36 million contract. He will turn 34 shortly after opening night next season.
The Avs brought him to Denver to try and win the Stanley Cup right now. But they also traded away the two best internal options to be the No. 2 center behind MacKinnon for next season and beyond.
What happens after this season with Nelson could play a huge part in defining the next couple of seasons for the Avalanche.
“We’ll deal with all the free-agent decisions as we move along,” Colorado general manager Chris MacFarland said. “We want to make sure it’s a good fit for us. We think it’s going to be a great fit. He has to believe it’s going to be a great fit, too. We’re confident in what our organization brings and can give to a player, but the focus is on the hockey games here for the rest of the season and then we’ll deal with the business in the offseason.”
The main priority has been getting Nelson settled in. He had three goals and eight points in his first 10 games. The production was a little slow at first, but it’s picked up recently. Having MacKinnon, Nelson, Charlie Coyle and Jack Drury down the middle has transformed the Avs and raised their ceiling from peripheral Cup contender to inner-circle contender.
There’s also recruiting to be done. Toews was working on that before Nelson arrived in Denver, and whether it’s outward or subtle, it’s happening now.
“He was always awesome to me (in New York) — a good friend,” Toews said. “Getting his kids out here playing with mine has been awesome. It’s been fun. They’ve been enjoying themselves spending time together.
“When I was in New York, I didn’t have any kids at that point, and now I’ve got three, and he’s got four. It’s pretty cool.”
Toews isn’t the only key member of the Avs with a connection to their new No. 2 center. MacKinnon and Nelson have worked out together in the offseason with Andy O’Brien, a trainer who has worked with many NHL stars — most notably MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby at his camp in Vail.
There could be some trepidation about Nelson’s next contract, given his age. But he also just had the three most productive seasons of his career after his 30th birthday. MacKinnon also knows a thing or two about finding a new level of performance in the middle of a career.
“Everyone’s got a different path,” MacKinnon said. “Him and Zach Parise are really good friends. Zach would talk about him last year, about how focused he is, how he’s into his health and kind of like myself a little bit. That’s it. I mean, that’s how you stay good. It’s no secret. Literally just taking care of yourself.
“… I think primes are longer. I think there’s more information for us now if you do the right things. I think (Nelson) is blessed with being a great skater. I mean, he flies. I was watching him the other day, and it’s two strides and he’s covering from blue (line) to blue. It’s amazing.”
How the 2025 playoffs go will likely have an impact on what the future looks like for Nelson and the Avs. If he does reach the open market in July, the Minnesota Wild may be waiting with open arms and a large chunk of cap space with the hope of luring him back home.
For now, the Avs have to hope the on-ice fit continues to be strong, and that his connections here and the organization’s success also work in their favor. The great weather this past week while Karley and the kids were in town to visit couldn’t hurt, either.
“I was talking to Devon the other day. It’s so crazy. It feels like yesterday that him and I were in the (COVID-19) bubble playing ‘Fortnite’ and just shooting the (bull) during that run. Now we’re here,” Nelson said. “Things worked out for me to get here. To have the chance to win, that’s the first and foremost important thing now. In terms of my career and everything else, it will sort itself out.”
