Former Ottawa Senator forward Nick Foligno has always been a natural leader.
From 2007-2012, he didn’t get much of a chance to show it off in Ottawa because he was still a young player, not to mention the fact that team leadership was spoken for. It was the domain of Daniel Alfredsson and future captains, Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson.
But Foligno’s high character was always evident, and when the Sens traded him straight up for Columbus defenceman Marc Methot in 2012, it wasn’t long before Foligno became the Blue Jackets’ captain, a role he held from 2015-2021.
As he now settles in for his second season in Chicago, the Blackhawks knew he was their guy too, a person they wanted young guys like Connor Bedard to learn from. As camp opened this week, Foligno was named the 35th captain in ‘Hawks history. His kids, who are a lot closer to Bedard’s age than his, presented him with his new jersey.
“I don’t take this lightly.,” Foligno told the group. “I’m excited about where we’re heading. I love the group already. And I know what’s coming before us, the leadership group that was here before us. The success that’s been here, I’m excited to get back to them.
“And with your help, and I think that’s the big thing, we’re gonna do this together. And you guys see, I’ve got this family (gesturing toward his kids) and they’re the most important thing in the world to me. But this is the next most important thing. And I hope we all feel the same way. So let’s get to work.”
It’s probably a wise decision for the ‘Hawks to let Bedard continue to develop without the pressure of leadership. He just turned 19 in July and he’ll probably claim the captaincy someday. But, in the meantime, Foligno is the perfect mentor. He’s almost twice Bedard’s age, but they’ve had instant chemistry on and off the ice.
The night Connor Bedard broke his jaw, Nick Foligno, his wife Janelle and the Foligno family dog came over and spent the night at Connor’s apartment so he wouldn’t be alone. 🥹😭 Tremendous gesture by the Folignos & a great relationship between Connor and Nick. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/giPc8MP0JA
— Chris Vosters (@CJVosters) March 15, 2024
Foligno turns 37 next month and was originally selected by the Senators in the first round (28th overall) of the 2006 NHL Draft. He has 562 points in 1,155 career regular-season games with the Senators, Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and Chicago.
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