Foligno finds voice as a father and a captain
Blue Jackets forward and former Senator sees Alfredsson as mentor
Two years to the day since the birth of his daughter, Nick Foligno can speak more comfortably about fatherhood.
Milana Foligno was born with a congenital heart issue, known as a mitral valve arcade, which required immediate attention to save her life. Afterward, the family was confronting a series of heart procedures, until they heard about a Boston doctor who was performing unique heart surgery that would fix most of Milana’s problems with a single, major operation.
On Wednesday, as his former Ottawa Senators teammates arrived for a game, Foligno was celebrating his daughter’s second birthday, with wife, Janelle, and their new son, Landon, age seven weeks.
All is well at the Foligno household these days, unlike the first few months of Milana’s precious life.
“She’s doing great,” Foligno says. “We got a great bill of health for her a month ago and don’t have to go again for six months. We were going every three months.
“She hit the 24-pound mark. She’s on the chart, that’s all that matters. She’s enjoying being a big sister to Landon. He’s taken a beating. Hair pulled yesterday. We’re toughening him up slowly.”
After dealing with the life-and-death procedures of his little girl, the newest captain of the Jackets should have less trouble turning his team around from a 0-3 start Columbus had prior to meeting the Senators here Wednesday.
“That’s probably the most disappointing part is we’ve done it to ourselves,” Foligno says. “You can’t in this league; you have to find a way to get points, no matter what game it is, and not dig yourselves a hole.
“We’ve had lapses and they’ve cost us.”
In his new role, Foligno has taken the bad start hard, but that’s also been part of the problem. Foligno is among several Jackets trying too hard to live up to the expectations this team would be a playoff contender this season after a string of injuries cost them last year.
“Obviously I’m thinking a lot more about the team (as captain), but what I’ve learned from these three games is that I need to worry about myself first and foremost. And that means doing the right things and leading by example and not worrying about the things I can’t control.”
Be like Alfie. That’s Foligno’s motto. He is trying to emulate former Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, whom he first met when Foligno joined the Senators as a teenaged rookie.
“He’s a guy I respected,” says Foligno, now entering his fourth season in Columbus after four in Ottawa. Foligno, of course, was traded for defenceman Marc Methot, a deal that helped both teams.
“I’d love to say I have the same qualities as Alfie,” Foligno says.
According to Foligno, who turns 28 on Halloween, Alfredsson was the ideal mentor for someone trying to soak up leadership qualities. Every little thing Alfie did — from his clockwork-like regimen in the weight room or his pre-game training routine, to his play on the ice — was consistent, says Foligno.
“Do the right things consistently,
you’re a great leader,” Foligno says.
LAZAR SKATES
After missing Tuesday’s skate to rest his injured foot, Lazar was back in uniform for Wednesday’s morning skate and expected to play in the game. He blocked two shots in Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Montreal, but it was a first period shot from Jeff Petry that caught him in the foot and stung him. X-rays were negative, fortunately.
“Being 20 years old and the first week of the season having a maintenance day is not the best thing, but the day off really helped,” Lazar said. “I do have the shot blockers on my feet but there’s the two inches that are not covered on my foot and that’s right where I got it.
A second shot block by Lazar, one of his team’s valued penalty killers, led to a breakaway. Even if Lazar struggled to get up to breakaway speed.
“People are getting on me for being too slow but I’d like them to try blocking a couple of shots and try hauling down the ice,” Lazar said, smiling. What else.
As to the practice of blocking shots at this level, Lazar notes that his mother is “not a fan” of her son sacrificing his body. And Lazar says the difference between the velocity and weight of NHL shots versus junior is night versus day.
“Almost every D man at this level can really shoot the puck,” Lazar says.
Especially power play defencemen.