As the Blackhawks wrapped up their opening meeting before the start of training camp on Tuesday night, General Manager Kyle Davidson told the players he had one last announcement to make to the team:
“Last year we had Seth Jones, Connor Murphy and Nick Foligno wearing letters (as alternate captains),” he began. “We’re going to keep that same group. We’re going to make one change, and we’re excited tonight to announce that the 36th captain in Blackhawks history we’re going to name: Nick Foligno.”
A surprise to all 55 players in the room, including Foligno himself, the immediate reaction spoke volumes about the choice.
“He’s the perfect man for the job for this team,” Jones explained moments later. “I think he's a great leader, on and off the ice. He leads by example, but he's also a great communicator, whether it's a young guy or an older guy, whether we're playing well or they need to work on something. He's always there to kind of fill that gap, especially between coaches and players as well.”
“The ‘C’ really suits him,” added Murphy, the team’s longest-tenured active player. “That's not easy to do coming in your first year, and having to get a read on the team and organization, as well as trying to make an impact on and off the ice. He's been able to do that, and it's really well deserved.”
Foligno himself was initially left speechless by the news — a self-admitted rare occurrence — as his three kids, Milana, Landon and Hudson, presented him with his No. 17 jersey donning the ‘C’ for the very first time.