CHICAGO -- Nick Foligno will be away from the Chicago Blackhawks for the time being to attend to a family matter.
According to a statement released by the Blackhawks on Wednesday, their captain “is taking a brief leave of absence as his daughter (Milana) undergoes follow-up surgery related to her congenital heart disease. Nick, nor the Blackhawks, will have any further comment at this time.”
Milana, who turned 12 on Tuesday, was born with a congenital heart defect. She is the eldest of the Foligno’s three children. They also have two sons, Hudson and Landon.
Milana was only 3 weeks old when she had her first heart surgery to insert an expandable stent. She’s also had other procedures on her heart, including a valve replacement after being diagnosed with endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart’s inner lining, in November 2018.
"We're praying for him and his family and everything that's going on," Chicago forward Frank Nazar said after the Blackhawks defeated the St. Louis Blues 8-3 on Wednesday. "That one was for him. It's something we as a group talked about before and after the game."
In 2020, Janelle Foligno, Nick’s wife and Milana’s mom, wrote a children’s book, “Dear Heart: A letter to my special heart,” based on the family’s experiences with Milana.
A first-round pick (No. 28) by the Ottawa Senators in the 2006 NHL Draft, Foligno has 599 points (247 goals, 352 assists) in 1,237 games with the Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and the Blackhawks. He was acquired by Chicago, along with forward Taylor Hall, from Boston for defensemen Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula on June 26, 2023.
He was named the Blackhawks captain a little more than a year later, on Sept. 18, 2024.
Foligno, who will turn 38 on Oct. 31, has two assists in four games this season. He is in the final season of a two-year, $9 million contract ($4.5 million average annual value) he signed on Jan. 12, 2024.
“He brings a lot to the table,” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said before the game Wednesday. “He’s a great, elite leader. He’s an extension of the coaching staff. We have other guys in the room who can help pick it up. As if he was injured, the next man up has to do a job and the next man up also means the next leadership man up. Certainly, with Murph (Connor Murphy) and Dickey (Jason Dickinson), we’ll be in good hands.”
