ST. PAUL, Minn. — When Marcus Foligno scored the game-tying goal for the Minnesota Wild late in the third period of Saturday’s Game 4 against the Dallas Stars, Matt Boldy said it was the loudest he’d ever heard the crowd at a Wild home game.
The Foligno contingent at the game was undoubtedly part of the reason.
There was his older brother, Nick, 38, just about exploding off the bench as Marcus scored arguably the biggest goal of his career, sparking the 3-2 overtime win over the Stars.
Also up in a suite were around 30 family members and friends. Their father, Mike, a former NHL player and coach. Their sisters, Lisa and Cara. Marcus’ wife, Natascia, and their three girls. Nick’s wife, Janelle, and their three kids.
It was the first time Nick and Marcus’ direct families had all been at a game together in the 15 years both have been NHLers.
So for Marcus, 34, to score the game-tying goal, jumping raucously into the boards as a celebration?
“That was as storybook as it could get,” Nick said.
“An amazing day,” Marcus said. “Probably the best game ever.”
This is what the Folignos dreamt of when the brothers were united at the March trade deadline, with the Wild acquiring Nick — the Chicago Blackhawks captain — for future considerations. There were multiple teams interested in Nick, but his first choice was Minnesota. They had never played together as pros, and this was a chance to chase their first Stanley Cup ring. Together.
So, as much as their first game together, March 26 in Florida, was special — the two being linemates and Marcus scoring a goal — this was different. It’s the playoffs. It was a must-win game, with the Wild in danger of falling behind 3-1 in the first-round best-of-seven series. And the whole group was there for it.
The family and friends all went out to dinner Friday in Edina, then attended the game Saturday, visiting the Wild dressing room and family area afterward. Nick said one of his nephews just broke out in tears.
“I’ll probably remember it forever,” Nick said. “The kids were running around. You don’t get these moments, right? I think the magnitude of the situation, too, the playoffs are special.”
The Foligno family and friends pose after Saturday’s game. (Photo courtesy of Marcus Foligno)
Marcus grew up wanting to be like his brother, and the two have played against each other for so long, even starting the “Foligno Faceoff” as a way to raise money for the foundation for their late mother, Janis, who died of breast cancer. They work out together with the same trainer every summer and have neighboring cottages in Sudbury, Ontario. So they’ve always been close.
But Marcus has been blown away by the past two months.
“It’s been so much fun,” Marcus said. “Better than what we expected, to be honest. You’re always worried about when the trade goes down. How is he going to fit? But he’s your brother and you know what his personality is. He’s pretty easy to get along with everybody in the room.”
Said Nick: “We’re both trying to live out our dream together with this group. It’s been way more enjoyable than we thought. To play in the NHL, to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs and do it with this group. What’s really neat is the respect (Marcus) has in this room. You know he’s doing it the right way, and you know he’s got the respect of his teammates.”
Nick Foligno’s first choice at the trade deadline was to be traded to the Wild to play with his brother, Marcus. (Photo courtesy of the Wild)
They laugh now, thinking about the last time they played on the same team. It was more than two decades ago, when Marcus was in sixth grade and Nick was in high school. They were living in Hershey, Pa., where their dad was coaching the AHL team. Their sisters played for a middle school team in a co-ed league, and the coach, Jo-Ann Delaney, asked if Marcus and Nick could join.
“How funny is that?” Nick said. “Ms. Delaney. They played in a house boys league, and it was so unfair. They asked me to play. I was close to their age. It was hilarious. We actually won one game. Marcus was so young and playing there with the guys. It was actually comical. When we were all four playing, it was pretty fun.”
Said Marcus: “Nick was probably on the first line, and I was just surviving.”
The night before the trade deadline, Marcus and Nick were talking on the phone about different scenarios. Nick wanted it to be Minnesota, and their agent, Pat Morris, was keeping them posted. Marcus prayed on it. And the next day, when Nick found out his destination, Marcus was his first phone call.
“I got traded to another team,” Nick told Marcus.
Marcus was happy for him, bummed it wasn’t the Wild.
“I’ll see you in a few hours,” Nick said.
The two were pretty fired up after that. Nick lived with Marcus briefly after the trade but eventually moved out and is staying in a hotel with other late-season additions, like Bobby Brink, Jeff Petry and Robby Fabbri. Nick joked he’s kind of like a dad there, too.
Nick’s family — Janelle, daughter Milana, and sons Landon and Hudson — have stayed in their Columbus home since the trade but have visited, including this past weekend.
Marcus said Nick is over for coffee every day and dinner most nights before going back to the hotel. He loves getting the “Uncle Nick” time.
“My niece had her birthday the other day,” Nick said. “We had just traveled back, and I went over to the house just to give her a hug. When am I ever going to get that chance during the season? It’s really cool to have that connection with them.”
Said Marcus, “We don’t think we’re overdoing it — hanging out with each other. For me, it’s been 16-plus years of not having him around at all for eight months of the year. We’re enjoying this time together.”
The two were together on the ice as linemates for a while, too, but have recently been split up.
Marcus said it’s been fun watching video of their shifts together, not like they need it.
“We played summer hockey with each other our whole lives,” Marcus said. “You see tendencies over the years. Besides my dad and my sisters, the one person who has watched him the most in his career is me. I understand what he’s going to do on the forecheck. I know if he’s going into a battle, if he’ll win it or not. That’s been the best part is being able to read the player.
“It’s almost like you do share the same brain.”
The brotherly bond could create some conflicts on the ice, especially if an opponent takes a run at Nick.
“Or vice versa,” Marcus said, laughing. “That’s the part that gets a little emotional. You have your brother in the mix, and someone is punching him in the head. You’ve got to jump in there. Usually, it’s me and him going at it. Now someone else is involved.”
Imagine what it’s like for their father, Mike, who played more than 1,000 NHL games between stops with the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. “My dad is honestly more nervous than he lets on, too,” Nick said. “The anxiety of the game and us winning and playing well, he’s more worried about. You can tell that’s why he doesn’t like coming to watch us too often. He gets nervous.”
The brothers both thought of their late mother, Janis, who died in 2009 of breast cancer, after the family gathering at Game 4.
While Mike was often away when they were young, Janis was not only a driving force but also the driver. They’d pack into the family’s Ford Explorer or Chevrolet Suburban for treks to Sault Ste. Marie or Toronto for practices or games. The boys would change into their gear in the back seat. She’d crank some music from her favorite artists, Celine Dion and Shania Twain. Nick said their mother’s happiest times were when they were all together. So she would have loved days like Saturday.
“I think she had a hand in it, for sure,” Nick said. “She was smiling down. She’d be so proud to see us all there. Just an amazing woman.”
After the game, in the family area, Nick laughed when defenseman Jake Middleton came into the room and asked, “These are all Folignos?”
“It was like a circus,” Nick said. “It was so fun for them, too. Hopefully it’s something they’ll remember.”