Posted on 11/11/2011 5:00:22 AM PST by WOBBLY BOB
Roger Christian, one-half of the Warroad, Minn., based brothers who helped lead the U.S. hockey team to the 1960 gold medal, died Wednesday at the age of 75.
He and Billy Christian were linemates on the first USA hockey team to win gold medals. The key game was the USA's first victory ever against the Soviet Union, when Roger assisted on two goals scored by Billy in a 3-2 decision.
The brothers also were partners in forming Christian Brothers, a Warroad-based company that made hockey sticks.
Roger, who played on five U.S. National teams, is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. He was the leading scorer on the 1958 national team, which was coached by Cal Marvin, another hockey legend from Warroad.
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RIP, Roger.
Christian Brothers: A Minnesota Institution.
Warroad, Minnesota: the REAL “Hockeytown USA”.
Condolences to Roger Christian’s family and friends.
All Olympians who competed in the first IOC games in 1896, are now dead.
Also nephew, Dave Christian, was on the 1980 US Olympic “Miracle On Ice” team.
Dicky Rodenheiser, a cop in my city was on that team. We reminded Harry (Silver Medal) Sinden of that when he spoke at the Chamber of Commerce Breakfast.
Hockey fan here. That was the original Miracle on Ice and watched the documentary on it many years ago. The US team committee was so disorganized they just made phone calls to whom they thought were eligible and said yes’ instead of the traditional try-outs. Even after they won the Gold’, not even their families knew what they did at first.
A far cry from the NBA “Dream Team” .
One of the 1960 Gold hockey team narrated on camera that once they returned the next day from the Olympic venue, even the sports sections hardly mentioned it. The very next day, they went back to their old jobs selling insurance, being clerks etc.
RIP.
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