What an honor for Islanders' No. 29.

New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson has been one of the club's alternate captains since 2020. He's been a tremendous leader on and off the ice.

And on Monday night, with two alternate captains out of the Team USA lineup -- Matthew Tkachuk and Charlie McAvoy--for their game against Sweden at the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off, head coach Mike Sullivan awarded Nelson one of the two "A"s. 

For those who don't know, Nelson's grandfather and uncle represented the United States, winning gold at the 1960 and 1980 Winter Olympics, respectively. But there's more.

From NHL.com's story on Nelson and making Team USA: Gordon Christian, Nelson's great uncle, earned a silver medal at the 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympics. Bill and his brother, Roger Christian, won gold in 1960. Dave Christian, Bill's son and Nelson's uncle, played for the "Miracle on Ice" team that won gold at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. He went on to play 1,009 NHL games, scoring 773 points (340 goals, 433 assists).

Being a member of this American team means the world to No. 29, and wearing a letter likely makes it even more special. 

Nelson's role on the team has been a small one, in terms of minutes, skating on the fourth line. But he's played a big role on the second penalty unit and is a reason why the USA will be battling in the finals against Team Canada on Thursday night at 8 PM ET. 

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