Nick Foligno is not the face of the Blackhawks franchise, but he has been their most influential leader for nearly a year now.
In an era where many franchises reserve their captaincy for their biggest star and most recognizable face — and elect to proceed without an official captain if they don’t have such a player at a given time — the Hawks made the right decision Wednesday to buck that trend and officially award Foligno the captaincy.
The 36-year-old forward is no star — his 37 points last year were his most in a single season since 2016-17 — and likely has just two years left in his career, based on the contract extension he signed last winter.
But there was no doubt, even before Wednesday, that Foligno was the de facto captain of this team. He’s a wise, affable, inclusive, motivational and even-handed voice of reason for a group that hasn’t been together very long.
He becomes the 35th captain in Hawks history and the first since Jonathan Toews’ long run in the role.
However, he more closely resembles some of Toews’ predecessors, who operated an era where the captaincy was more of a year-to-year title. Between Chris Chelios (captain from 1995 to 1999) and Toews (who took over in 2008), the Hawks had five captains (Doug Gilmour, Tony Amonte, Alexei Zhamnov, Adrian Aucoin and Martin Lapointe), none of whom served more than two years in the role.
“In a very short amount of time, Nick has quickly earned the respect of his teammates and our staff,” Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “Nick’s commanding presence in the locker room has been instrumental in helping the team find its identity.
“He has served as a mentor to many of our young players — both on and off the ice — while also heading up the leadership group comprised of our veteran players, and we are beyond confident that he will flourish in the role of captain as we usher in a new era of Blackhawks hockey.”
Foligno was a major unifying force last season through plenty of adversity, including the Corey Perry scandal and a franchise-record 59 losses.
He kept morale high and prevented team chemistry from crumbling, but he also delivered honest criticism when necessary — including after a loss in the season finale, when he called for the team to “make some changes” over the summer. He then helped make that happen, successfully pitching Chicago to sought-after free agents like Tyler Bertuzzi.
Away from the rink, Foligno regularly hosted rookies and new players for home-cooked dinners, creating an environment where guys felt comfortable opening up more of their true selves. He’s also involved in community outreach through his foundation, The Heart’s Playbook, which funds research and provides support for children born with congenital heart defects.
His responsibilities as captain this season probably won’t be much easier, but he’ll be able to use training camp — which opened with physicals Wednesday — to form a more cohesive leadership plan. Veteran defensemen Seth Jones and Connor Murphy will continue as alternate captains.
“The fact that [Hawks CEO] Danny [Wirtz], Kyle, [coach] Luke [Richardson] and my teammates have all put their faith in me to lead this amazing group is extremely humbling, and I thank them all for the opportunity,” Foligno said in a statement. “I am beyond honored to serve as captain for this storied franchise and its incredible fans, especially during such a pivotal time toward the team’s future.”
In two years, face-of-the-franchise star Connor Bedard — who will then be 21, more experienced in the NHL and more confident as a vocal presence in the locker room — will presumably take over the captaincy. Until then, though, Foligno is unquestionably the right choice to wear the “C.”