Foligno Face-Off wraps up on Mother's Day, raises more than $200K

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Marcus Foligno will never forget Jackie.

"She was walking into the game, our first game here in Minnesota against Chicago, and she had a family of four, four kids with her and her husband," Foligno said. "That just kind of shook us a little bit because with my two sisters and , it was kind of like looking in the mirror. It was one of those things where it was like man, almost living it all over again."

Foligno, the Minnesota Wild forward, doesn't know Jackie's last name, where she's from, where she lives. The only thing he knows about Jackie is she is a breast cancer survivor, five years in remission, doing well, and that her husband and kids are lucky to still have her.

Marcus, his brother Nick, also a Wild forward, and sisters Lisa and Cara lost their mom, Janis, to breast cancer nearly 17 years ago, in July 2009. Their father, Mike Foligno, a former NHL player and coach, lost his wife.

They have been active in a shared mission to create awareness about breast cancer ever since. And now, inspired by people like Jackie and her family, the many women like her and families impacted by breast cancer -- now and in the future -- the brothers have created the Foligno Face-Off.

Through the NHL, NHL Players' Association, V Foundation for Cancer Research and Wild, the Folignos teamed up with Hockey Fights Cancer to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research in honor of Janis Foligno this season.

The Foligno Face-Off is wrapping up Sunday, on Mother's Day, after having raised more than $200,000 to fund a new breast cancer research grant in Minnesota through the V Foundation and Hockey Fights Cancer. Every penny donated is going directly to the grant.

Nick Foligno said it is special to him and Marcus to wind up the Foligno Face-Off on Mother's Day while they are still playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Wild trail the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in the Western Conference Second Round after a 5-1 win on Saturday. Game 4 of the best-of-7 series is at Grand Casino Arena on Monday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).

"We're together in this fight and on the ice right now fighting to realize our dream, which is something our mother would want for us so much," Nick said, "and it's really special to wrap this up on Mother's Day to still be playing and still continue to raise awareness. 

"It never stops, and I think Marcus and I both understand that just because this campaign is over we're going to continue to fight just like everybody else is. It's a really proud moment with the money we were able to raise and the people we came across. The donations were one thing, but the stories and the messages we got, it was beautiful. On the website, https://vfoundation.donordrive.com/events/707, they were able to write comments and how many people just appreciate that they're not forgotten, that there is a hope and a faith that we are going to find a way to cure this thing one day."

The Foligno Face-Off started when Nick was still playing for the Chicago Blackhawks. Fans were asked to choose between Team Nick and Team Marcus, and to donate $17 (their jersey numbers at the time), or any amount of money, to the cause through the V Foundation's website. 

The brothers also pushed the initiative on social media.

Nick was injured and not in the lineup when the Blackhawks played the Wild in Chicago on Nov. 26, but Marcus said donations particularly ramped up when they played against each other at Grand Casino Arena on Jan. 27. He called it "an eye-opener" for what was possible.

That's also when they met Jackie and her family.

"You're so happy to see people have their mom around," Marcus said. "That's when Nick and I looked at each other and were like, 'This is awesome what we're doing.' That was the biggest thing."

The Blackhawks traded Nick to Minnesota on March 6, but the Foligno Face-Off continued, albeit with a twist.

"We realized we couldn't do it as a face-off so we were just trying to make it something that we could do together, which is kind of neat," Nick said. 

Nick took the No. 71, so now fans were asked to donate at least $71 to Team Nick and still $17 to Team Marcus.

"As opposed to him and I, who is going to win, it was fun to be on the same team for once in both regards, on the ice and off the ice," Nick said, "and having people donate to us both for a cause that is a great one. 

"We were not expecting it obviously, but really thrilled when the news came that we were going to be on the same team, and then thinking about the Foligno Face-Off, I think it's a beautiful way to close it out that Marcus and I have now joined forces. It feels we've been doing it all along to benefit our foundation and breast cancer research in general. I think our mom would be proud. She's like, 'Finally, you guys stopped fighting.'"

Marcus still got the better of Nick in the donations department. 

As of Saturday, Team Marcus collected $109,450.36 in donations and Team Nick had $63,914.72. 

"He's better at social media than I am," Nick joked.

Marcus said they were still in the process of counting donations, and the total is expected to increase to more than $200,000, of which every penny will go to the grant to fund breast cancer research in Minnesota.

"I didn't know how big and how far it would go," Marcus said. "Obviously, teaming up with the V Foundation, now I know a lot about them, it was just a cool aspect. We got to meet breast cancer survivors and people who are fighting for their lives against it, and cancer in general. We've had many people write letters and we got to read them. 

"It's bigger than the game. It was so cool to be a part of. We're so fortunate Nick and I, our faces were on this whole initiative. To raise $200,000-plus for breast cancer research was the main goal and to do it is really exciting."