Bill Christian

Christian played prep school hockey at Warroad High School where he led the team to the 1953 state tournament finals.[1] Christian then attended the University of Minnesota. However, since freshman were not allowed to join varsity sports teams at the time, Christian describes it as a “lost season.”[2] After one year at the University of Minnesota, Christian joined the United States National Team. He led the United States to a gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics.[3] During the Olympics, Christian led the team with seven goals and five assists as they became the first American team to play in the Soviet Union.[1] After the Olympics, Christian had a brief professional tryout with the minor league Seattle Totems but chose to remain an amateur, returning to build houses in Minnesota instead.[4] He kept playing for the Warroad Lakers for 23 years before retiring after the 1980 season.[1] Four years later, in 1984, he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.[1]

In 1998, Christian was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame as a player.[5][6]

In 2016, both Christian and his son Dave auctioned off their gold medals with Heritage Auctions.[7]

Christian comes from a hockey playing family. Both Roger and Gordon Christian played for Team USA at the Olympic Games. His son, Dave Christian, was a member of the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, at the 1980 Winter Olympics that also won a gold medal before embarking on a successful professional career in the National Hockey League between 1980 and 1995. His grandson, Brock Nelson, is a member of the New York Islanders of the NHL.[8]

The Christian brothers father was a carpenter. In 1964, Christian and his brother Roger began a wooden hockey stick business called "Christian Brothers Hockey Company."[9] The company was eventually bought out by Harrow in 2009.[10]

• List of Olympic medalist families