When the Blue Jackets season ended in April, Nick Foligno said publicly he felt like the time was right for a captain to be named. He shared what a captain could bring to the team and what that individual would be called upon to do. What he didn't share was that he knew he was being considered to fill that very role.
"I knew they were considering me but not that I was going to get it," Foligno said after a press conference announcing his captaincy Wednesday. "It was more that I was one of the guys that was being considered strongly."
Naming a captain was a process by design for the Blue Jackets. The team had not had one since Rick Nash was traded in 2012. When current president of hockey operations John Davidson and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen took on the management of the team thereafter, they intentionally chose to wait before naming a captain to see who would rise from the roster and "earn the captaincy."
Kekalainen said that the team had a checklist and one by one, Foligno kept showing his ability to check the boxes next to the things the organization wanted to see from their leader.
"I had a long conversation with Nick before we signed him to a long-term contract about leadership," Kekalainen said. "About taking a bigger leadership role and is he ready for the challenge, is that something he would look forward to â he kept filling all the criteria we had expected from that guy who rises from the group."
The conversations continued.
Foligno said he talked with Davidson again at the conclusion of the season and there were more discussions before the call finally came ten days ago to get on a plane and come to Columbus. Foligno knew what that meant - he was going to be the sixth captain in Blue Jacket franchise history.
The first person Foligno told was his wife, Janelle. The second was his father, Mike. Mike played in the NHL for 15 years and is now a coach for the New Jersey Devils. During his playing days he was the captain for the Buffalo Sabres.
"The history of it all and him being a captain too I think it's pretty cool for both of us to say we're captains of NHL teams," Foligno said. "He's a guy I've learned a lot from so it's pretty special to bounce things off of him now about leadership too."
Next, in addition to sharing the news with his brother, and current Buffalo Sabre, Marcus, Foligno set about informing the rest of the team, a task Kekalainen specifically left to the newly named captain.
"A lot of guys were like "Oh, I knew it" or "What took so long?" They were all really happy for me," Foligno said. "When you hear that from your teammates, it's a big honor to be considered (a leader) amongst your organization but I think it means nothing if you're teammates don't believe in it. I think they do and that makes me feel really good about the situation."
Acceptance from other Jackets' players was something Foligno had perhaps anticipated. When the team started to voice their desire for a captain earlier this year they said time and time again that it wasn't about any one guy - that they would be happy for whoever was named. Foligno confirmed that there was no campaigning - something he's proud of - and said the process was entirely natural.
But Foligno will admit that as the role started to take shape in his mind, it was a job he thought he could do - and wanted to do.
"I was saying some things that I thought we need and I felt like I could fill that role," Foligno said. "Whoever they would have picked I would have been completely happy knowing that we had someone to lead our team going forward. But in a way I was hoping it would be me because I really felt like I can do the job and I wanted the responsibility and I felt like I could do a good job and get this team to the next level."
Foligno had never worn the captain's C on a jersey before this year, and he's now been given it twice - first as the leader of one of the All-Star Game teams and as the long-term leader of the Blue Jackets. He knows having the title is only the beginning - there's work to do.
Kekalainen says he's expecting the Jackets' captain to get the most out of each player and the team; to communicate with coaches, and to keep the team on the same message.
Foligno will use the summer to think about things and be as prepared as he can be for his new role. But don't expect to see a lot of change in his approach to hockey on or off the ice.
Foligno has grown in his game and leadership ability but he's not interested in trying to be something he's not. He doesn't expect to impact his relationships with his teammates, many of whom have leadership skills of their own that Foligno is counting on to help steer the Blue Jackets on a successful path.
"Being a captain is something that you dream about," Foligno said. "To be able to have this be a reality for a team I care so much about it's a huge honor."
"It's been an awesome ride - it's been a lot of fun but there's still so much to do â my job is when we all come together 20 guys is to win a Stanley Cup."
