# Bill Christian > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bill_Christian > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bill_Christian.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Christian > Source revision: 1341859813 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American ice hockey player}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}} {{Use American English|date=February 2024}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Bill Christian | image = | caption = | fullname = William David Christian | birth_date = {{birth date and age text|January 29, 1938}} | birth_place = [Warroad, Minnesota](/source/Warroad%2C_Minnesota), U.S. | headercolor = lightsteelblue | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's [ice hockey](/source/ice_hockey)}} {{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}} {{MedalCompetition|[Olympic Games](/source/Ice_hockey_at_the_Olympic_Games)}} {{MedalGold| [1960 Squaw Valley](/source/1960_Winter_Olympics) |[Ice hockey](/source/Ice_hockey_at_the_1960_Winter_Olympics)}} }} '''William David Christian''' (born January 29, 1938) is an American former [ice hockey](/source/ice_hockey) player. As a member of the [United States hockey team](/source/United_States_men's_national_ice_hockey_team), he won the gold medal at the [1960 Winter Olympics](/source/1960_Winter_Olympics). He was inducted into the [United States Hockey Hall of Fame](/source/United_States_Hockey_Hall_of_Fame) in 1984, and the [International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame](/source/IIHF_Hall_of_Fame) in 1998. ==Career== Christian played prep school hockey at [Warroad High School](/source/Warroad_High_School) where he led the team to the 1953 state tournament finals.{{cite web |title=WILLIAM "BILL" CHRISTIAN |url=https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/page/show/820604-william-bill-christian |website=ushockeyhalloffame.com |accessdate=April 18, 2019}} Christian then attended the [University of Minnesota](/source/University_of_Minnesota). However, since freshman were not allowed to join varsity sports teams at the time, Christian describes it as a "lost season."{{cite web |title=Boyhood thrill |url=https://www.mnhockeyhub.com/news_article/show/104509-boyhood-thrill |website=mnhockeyhub.com |accessdate=April 18, 2019 |date=September 24, 2011}} After one year at the University of Minnesota, Christian joined the [United States national team](/source/United_States_men's_national_ice_hockey_team), which went on to win its first-ever ice hockey gold medal at the [1960 Winter Olympics](/source/Ice_hockey_at_the_1960_Winter_Olympics).{{cite web |title=Bill Christian |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/IZone/izone.member.info.do?mem=11 |website=legendsofhockey.com |accessdate=April 18, 2019}} During the Olympics, Christian led the team with seven goals and five assists. A year earlier, they became the first American team to play exhibition games in Russia against the [Soviet Union national ice hockey team](/source/Soviet_Union_national_ice_hockey_team). After the Olympics, Christian had a brief tryout with the minor league [Seattle Totems](/source/Seattle_Totems) but chose not to become a professional player, returning to build houses in Minnesota instead."Squaw Valley Gold" (p.233) by James E. Coughlin, iUniverse Books, 2009 {{ISBN|978-0-595-20087-0}} (pbk) He kept playing for the [Warroad Lakers](/source/Warroad_Lakers) for 23 years before retiring after the 1980 season. Four years later, in 1984, he was inducted into the [United States Hockey Hall of Fame](/source/United_States_Hockey_Hall_of_Fame). In 1998, Christian was inducted into the [International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame](/source/IIHF_Hall_of_Fame) as a player.{{cite news|title=Warroad player to be inducted|date=31 May 1998|newspaper=[Star Tribune](/source/Star_Tribune)|location=Minneapolis, Minnesota|page=36|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune-bill-christian/127510752/|access-date=3 July 2023}}{{cite web |title=Complete list of IIHF Hall of Fame Inductees from 1997-2006 |url=http://www.iihf.com/news/iihfpr4704.htm |website=iihf.com |accessdate=April 18, 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060319051722/http://www.iihf.com/news/iihfpr4704.htm |archivedate=March 19, 2006}} ==Personal life== Christian comes from a hockey-playing family. Both [Roger](/source/Roger_Christian_(ice_hockey)) ([1960](/source/1960_Winter_Olympics) and [1964 Winter Olympics](/source/1964_Winter_Olympics)) and [Gordon Christian](/source/Gordon_Christian) ([1956 Winter Olympics](/source/1956_Winter_Olympics)) played for Team USA at the Olympic Games. His son, [Dave Christian](/source/Dave_Christian), was a member of the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team at the [1980 Winter Olympics](/source/1980_Winter_Olympics) and played in the [National Hockey League](/source/National_Hockey_League) (NHL). His grandson, [Brock Nelson](/source/Brock_Nelson), is also an NHL player.{{cite web |last1=Wright |first1=Cory |title=The Golden Years |url=https://www.nhl.com/islanders/news/the-golden-years/c-293154872 |website=NHL.com |accessdate=April 18, 2019 |date=November 19, 2017}} Nelson played for the United States at the [2026 Winter Olympics](/source/Ice_hockey_at_the_2026_Winter_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_tournament), winning the family's third Olympic ice hockey gold medal.{{cite web|last=Maeir|first=Coby|title=Brock Nelson Returns Home a Hockey Hero, Continues Family's Golden Legacy|date=February 25, 2026|url=https://www.nhl.com/avalanche/news/brock-nelson-returns-home-a-hockey-hero|website=[Colorado Avalanche](/source/Colorado_Avalanche)|access-date=March 5, 2026}} 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".{{cite news |last1=Sell |first1=Dave |title=Christian Family Sticks to Business That It Knows Best |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-19-sp-413-story.html |accessdate=April 18, 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 19, 1989}} The company was eventually bought out by Harrow in 2009.{{cite web |author1=Mike G. Morreale |title=Minnesota town holds unique spot in Olympic history |url=https://www.nhl.com/news/minnesota-town-holds-unique-spot-in-olympic-history/c-703197 |website=NHL.com |accessdate=April 18, 2019 |date=February 10, 2014}} In 2016, both Christian and his son Dave auctioned off their gold medals.{{cite web |title=Bill and Dave Christian's Olympic hockey gold medals up for auction |url=http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/14762078/gold-bill-dave-christian-olympic-hockey-medals-auction |website=ESPN.com |accessdate=April 19, 2019 |date=February 11, 2016}} ==See also== *[List of Olympic medalist families](/source/List_of_Olympic_medalist_families) ==References== {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Christian, Bill}} Category:1938 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:American men's ice hockey players Category:Ice hockey players from Minnesota Category:Ice hockey players at the 1960 Winter Olympics Category:Ice hockey players at the 1964 Winter Olympics Category:IIHF Hall of Fame inductees Category:Medalists at the 1960 Winter Olympics Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in ice hockey Category:Sportspeople from Warroad, Minnesota Category:Warroad Lakers players Category:United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bill Christian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Christian) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Christian?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.