Q&A: Blue Jackets' Foligno looks back at trying time, ahead to building upon success
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Twelve months ago, left winger Nick Foligno was preparing for NHL training camps to open. The summer training regimen was complete and he was back in Columbus. He was also preparing, along with his wife Janelle, for the birth of their first child.
Ten days after the season started, they welcomed Milana Maria into the world on Oct. 14, 2013. A few days after her birth, she was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. Nick and Janelle found themselves back in the hospital as Milana underwent successful heart valve surgery on Nov. 8, 2013 at Boston Children's Hospital.
To say this was a trying time for Foligno and his family would be a gross understatement. In the midst of a rollercoaster start to the Blue Jackets season, he had to focus his attention on his daughter. The new father, known for his physical toughness and play on the ice, now had to channel his durability to his infant daughter to help her to be tough, also.
Almost one year later, training camps are preparing to open and Milana Maria Foligno is getting ready to celebrate her first birthday. I spoke with Nick Foligno last Thursday about his daughter, last year's playoffs and the new season for the Blue Jackets that is about to unfold.
FSO: Milana is almost one year old. After the successful surgery last year, how is she doing now?
Foligno: She's doing great. We're in Boston (Children's Hospital) right now, to get a checkup on her. I'll be busy all day with her, seeing where she's at. It's about the time when they (doctors) thought she might need another procedure. She's not out of the woods, entirely. She has to be monitored and watched. She'll probably need a few more procedures as she goes.
But, it's getting to be about that time when they thought they might want to do the next one, so they want to check up on her and see. But right now, she's doing really well. She's growing, she's happy and she's almost walking. As parents, it's just normal life for us. We couldn't be happier.
FSO: Some time has now passed since the Blue Jackets were eliminated in Game 6 of the first round of the playoffs by Pittsburgh. Was it a surprise to you and the rest of the players in the room that the national hockey media sat up and took notice of Columbus?
Foligno: I think we had a belief and that's where it has to come from first, before you can do anything on a national level or gain anyone's respect. You have to believe in yourself. I think that is something that I'm most proud of, in that we really came together and understood what it was going to take to be a successful team. We still have much to learn, as we saw against the Pittsburgh Penguins in that playoff series.
The belief is there. The want, the will, the push, the drive... it's all there. Now, it's just a matter of fine tuning it, which is probably the hardest step in becoming an elite team. And that's what everyone wants.
I was talking over the summer with a lot of people and they're like 'you guys have become my favorite team.' It's so nice to hear that we're gaining respect around the league, not only from the teams but from the fans, too. You can see it as the excitement grows. We play a really good brand of hockey that people enjoy watching. It's a big credit to every guy in the locker room and the organization, from top to bottom, that's made us what we are right now. We know that we haven't accomplished anything yet, so it's even more exciting right now.
FSO: In Game 4 of the playoff series with Pittsburgh, with the game tied at the end of regulation, you asked the guys in the locker room if they would mind if you scored the game-winning goal. Then you went out and did it. Does that moment in time become part of the fabric of the Blue Jackets? (He was laughing as he began to answer this question).
Foligno: It couldn't have worked out any better. It was a pretty amazing feeling, obviously. You say something like that just to kind of keep the room light at first. Then, you start to have a little bit of belief in yourself in wanting to do that. To get the puck on my stick and then put it in the net was a pretty great feeling, for our organization and the guys in the room.
I wanted nothing more than to battle with them in that playoff series. You know, watching those first two games (Foligno was injured at the end of the regular season and missed the first two playoff games), I was chomping at the bit to get back on the ice.
To get in there in my second game (after the injury) and really help in such a positive way was so gratifying for me, but just to see how happy they were as well, because they had been battling for four games. That, to me, speaks a lot about our team, the way we came back in that game and the belief we had after that.
I think that was the point, you could see it in the guys that we felt 'okay, we've done something special here.' I know the series didn't go our way. We could have played better, and we should have played better in Pittsburgh, and that was our fault. The way we came together, we realized we were doing something special here.
We're obviously doing the right things, now it's the experience from that series that we can build on for this year.
FSO: After the playoff elimination, head coach Todd Richards said that the series was good but that the team still finished 15th out of 30 teams. Was this a reality check for you and the guys in the room that you need to be better?
Foligno: I think he was absolutely right. If you look at it, our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. So when you fall short, your season is not a success. Yes, it was great that we made such great strides in the last few years, but in our eyes, it wasn't what we wanted. It wasn't the outcome that we thought we deserved and should have had. So, it was disappointing.
What I think he wanted us to realize, and the fans also, was that we did something special but there's so much more room for improvement. How exciting is that, based on how great last season was? If we can continue to improve, how great will the hockey be? How great will that be for the community? That was a team that was 15 out of 30. Imagine if we're a team that's 10 out of 30, 5 out 30 or one 1 of 30.
I mean, the ride is going to be that much better. That's what we're building for and that's what we want. It's great motivation for us and it's exciting for the fans. It's our driving force this year, for sure.
FSO: You talk about building upon the success of last year. With essentially the same team and the experience gained, does that help the team going into this year?
Foligno: Yes, I think it does. What it does, is it teaches us how to be a good team and teaches us that there's still room for improvement. Experience is one thing you can't get unless you have time. We're a young team and now having the young guys have that experience, it's so valuable.
I think it's good for teams, especially when they're young, to experience something like that. I'm excited for Boone (Jenner) and Ryan Murray. I'm excited for Cam (Atkinson) and Matt Calvert. I'm excited to see what I can bring to the team, because I've learned so much from last season. That the older, veteran guys have, as well.
I think that you're learning every year and that's only going to help you be a better player and a better team. What I like is that we've learned as a team and we're moving forward as a team. I think that will only bode well for us this season.
FSO: You have always given your all on the ice, sometimes reacting to a play that put you in the penalty box or got you tossed from games. After your daughter was born, you became a more level-headed player. Was this change a direct result of her birth and the subsequent surgery she required?
Foligno: For sure. I definitely know that being a father is tough. You have to have a lot more patience, that's for sure. I think that's helped my game a lot. You play with that fire and that passion, especially with what I went through, although there are people out there that have gone through much worse, but you use it. It becomes a part of you.
I was able to use it in a way that helped me on the ice. I'm so proud to be a dad and that's one thing I want her to know about me. It drives me every day when I'm working out in the gym and it drives me when I'm out on the ice. I feel that I've become a better player since becoming a father. I also think that I've become more comfortable and confident with myself.
FSO: What does it mean to the team to have a veteran like Scott Hartnell (traded to Columbus in June) on the club?
Foligno: He's a competitor. He's a guy that works hard and wants to win. It shows in the way he talks and the way he acts. I think it's going to be tremendous for us to have a veteran guy like that. He's been around and is going to play his 1,000th game this year. Being a competitor, that's what I like most about him. He's tough to play against every night. You want guys like that on your team.
FSO: This is a contract year for you, with unrestricted free agency on the horizon in July, 2015. While this is a business, after being an integral part of the change in Columbus, what does your heart say about staying here? Is it a feeling of wanting to finish what you started?
Foligno: Absolutely. I want to be a part of this. We've all put a lot of work into this and we've grown together. I want to see this thing through. I want to be here when we hoist the Stanley Cup.
This will be my first time going through an unrestricted (free agent) situation, but I'm fully committed to this team. That's all I'm thinking about. Contracts, as I've learned in the past, work themselves out. Yes, it's a job and I have to make sure that I look after my family.
But, I'm also a guy that wants to win. I feel that right now, that place is in Columbus. I'm pouring everything I have into this season to make sure that happens. I'll worry about that other stuff (contract) down the road. My heart is fully set on being here and hopefully for a long time.
Both head coach Todd Richards and GM Jarmo Kekalainen have said that a captain would emerge from within the team. Foligno has begun to personify what it means to be a captain, all without wearing the "C." He is caring and consistent, but most of all, he's credible. These are the qualities of a captain.
