But besides the sentimental, there\u2019s another added benefit to this charity contest: adding stakes to a stale rivalry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought it\u2019d be an awesome idea to have a little fun with our game because, to be honest with you, playing against Marcus now as we\u2019ve gotten older is kind of losing its luster,\u201d Nick told The Athletic. \u201cWe both want each other to do well. We\u2019re at the age now where, beating each other for points, we both realized we haven\u2019t won and we\u2019re both cheering for each other. It\u2019s nice to have something else to kind of play for. Instead of one of us leaving really angry after a game, it\u2019s a nice way to kind of spice things up a little bit, and we\u2019re doing it for a great cause.\u201d<\/p>\n
Putting a sibling rivalry to good use \u2014 introducing the #FolignoFaceOff<\/a>! \u2014 The V Foundation for Cancer Research (@TheVFoundation) November 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n When the NHLPA approached the brothers about getting involved, it was a no-brainer.<\/p>\n The idea is a simple one. Fans can pick sides and donate money through either Marcus or Nick\u2019s page<\/a>, with 100 percent of the money going to cancer research. Every donor is entered to win a Hockey Fights Cancer jersey signed by both brothers, plus a puck signed from their team\u2019s Foligno.<\/p>\n The Foligno brothers announced the initiative on ESPN Thursday with their typical witty banter. What\u2019s going to be fun for the two is deciding their side bet on the contest.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to do a challenge, whoever loses has to do a consequence,\u201d Marcus told The Athletic. \u201cMaybe, like, I\u2019ll wear a Foligno Faceoff shirt of Nick at Thanksgiving dinner. Or maybe I\u2019d have to stand on the corner of the road with a sign that says, \u2018Honk for breast cancer research.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully the first one will be a Thanksgiving toast to the other, so that\u2019ll be pretty funny,\u201d Nick said. \u201cThen maybe even have the fans vote on one, get more involvement that way.\u201d<\/p>\n The first Wild-Hawks game of the season comes Wednesday in Chicago. Unfortunately, Nick isn\u2019t expected to play due to an injury.<\/p>\n Marcus said the Janis Foligno Foundation is soon going to donate $110,000, helping a lot in their hometown of Sudbury, Ontario. They should raise a ton more through this \u201cFoligno Faceoff\u201d as well.<\/p>\n Marcus and Nick Foligno’s late mother isn’t with us, but the memories are piled up.<\/p>\n “That was her happiest moments \u2026 When we were all together.\u201d<\/p>\n The Foligno brothers think about their mom often and Mother’s Day will always hit them hard.https:\/\/t.co\/rhUaHxGThD<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 12, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n And they\u2019re both still rooting for each other on the ice, including for each of them to snap their goal drought. Marcus has no goals in 22 games, with\u00a0Nick shut out in his first 15.<\/p>\n \u201cOh my God,\u201d Nick said, laughing. \u201cBoth him and I, I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on this year. We\u2019re saving them for when they matter, I guess. But it\u2019s crazy. I wouldn\u2019t have guessed we\u2019d be donuts right now at the start of the year. It\u2019s a funny game, sometimes. Analytics. So I said, \u2018Marcus, we\u2019re due for like 20 goals down the stretch, we\u2019ll be the hottest players in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n Pro volleyball coming to GCA<\/p>\n Wild owner Craig Leipold announced last week that he has purchased and is placing a Major League Volleyball expansion team at Grand Casino Arena starting in January 2027. Leipold has a number of minority investors, including Tim Connelly, the president of basketball operations of the Timberwolves, and Matt Mithun, part owner of MLS\u2019 Minnesota United.<\/p>\n The name, logo and color scheme will be announced sometime next year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been working on an opportunity to get involved in women\u2019s sports for a couple years now,\u201d Leipold said. \u201cThis opportunity is one that we have spent a lot of time and due diligence looking at, which is the best opportunity for us.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Matt Mithun, Craig Leipold and Scott Gorsline announce the purchase of an MLV expansion franchise. (Bruce Kluckhohn \/ Minnesota Wild)<\/p>\n Leipold was also approached by League One Volleyball, but they have a PWHL model where the league owns and operates all the teams. Because the Wild feel they know their market better and have more of an expertise selling tickets and finding corporate sponsors, they felt MLV was a better fit so they can operate the franchise.<\/p>\n LOV jumped ahead of the Wild\u2019s planned presser last week and announced on X its intention to place its own expansion team in the Twin Cities in 2027. No details, such as a venue, were announced.<\/p>\n That development clearly created awkwardness as Leipold said during the presser that the Wild never envisioned two pro volleyball leagues coming to the Twin Cities and indicated doubt that two can work.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to question whether it\u2019s appropriate to put two teams in one market like this,\u201d Leipold said. \u201cThere is two in Atlanta, and there\u2019s two in Omaha, Nebraska.\u201d<\/p>\n Added Scott Gorsline, president of the Grand Rapids Rise and co-chair of the MLV board of directors, \u201cI would say it\u2019s definitely not ideal to be going head-to-head in new markets. But I would also say this group, this arena, you can\u2019t really, in my opinion, compete with what they offer. These guys will do what they do and do it the right way and let the chips fall where they may.\u201d<\/p>\n MLV officials say teams average about 4,000 fans per game, with Omaha drawing around 10,000. Minnesota will be aiming for around 8,000 a game, with ticket deposits being accepted at mlvminnesota.com<\/a>. There are currently eight teams in the league, with plans to expand to 11 by 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will likely have weekends where we\u2019ll have afternoon volleyball and maybe (evening) hockey games,\u201d Leipold said. \u201cIt\u2019s being done in other markets. It can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah Wilhite-Parsons, the former Gophers star from Eden Prairie and player for the Omaha Supernovas, said it was surreal that \u201ca professional team is coming to my hometown.\u201d<\/p>\n Leipold said \u2014 followed by a big laugh \u2014 that he didn\u2019t want to already get thrown out of the league for tampering, \u201cbut you\u2019re the kind of player that we want to have on our team.\u201d<\/p>\n The Goligoski effect<\/p>\n A couple weeks ago, Zeev Buium was sitting at his locker room stall at TRIA Rink with a laptop and a helpful teacher: Alex Goligoski.<\/p>\n Goligoski, the retired NHL defenseman, is in his first year as Wild player development advisor, and has already played a big role in tutoring the team\u2019s young defensemen like David Jiricek, Daemon Hunt and Buium.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just the little things \u2014 I love it,\u201d Buium said. \u201cHe\u2019s a great player, and he just gets it. Being a young guy trying to find your wings. When you watch little things, good and bad, small plays that can eventually end up in something big.\u201d<\/p>\n On this day, Goligoski was talking with Buium on a few things, including box-outs. He told the top prospect that when an opponent goes from low to high, don\u2019t extend too high because they\u2019ll stop and go around you.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest thing is he\u2019s trying to instill confidence in us,\u201d Buium said. \u201cMake us feel good about our game. If you\u2019re confident, everything is better. You play with like, a beat. You play different, you skate different. (Goligoski) gets it. He\u2019s played at this time, this era. He gets the things you can and can\u2019t do. He sees the things you want to try. And going into that Carolina game and the Islanders game (on the road), I really found that confidence, like \u2018I can do what I did at Denver. I can do it here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Yurov having a blast making the NHL circuit<\/p>\n Shooting the breeze with Buium on Friday in Pittsburgh, the young defenseman said he had previously been to Pittsburgh for a USHL showcase but never played at the Penguins\u2019 home arena. He said the biggest blast so far this season was getting to go to new cities and play in new arenas for the first time.<\/p>\n Danila Yurov, who hails from Russia, echoed that sentiment, saying, \u201cEverything is new to me.\u201d<\/p>\n One of his biggest thrills so far this season was getting to play recently against the Anaheim Ducks\u2019 Chris Kreider. Yurov worked out this offseason with several NHLers at the Prentiss Hockey Performance center in Stamford, Conn., and one player that took Yurov under his wing was Kreider, the NHL veteran and former New York Rangers star.<\/p>\n Kreider is the king of that gym and would teach Yurov workouts and take him aside on the ice during skates.<\/p>\n At one point in the second period, Kreider and Yurov shared a couple words before Yurov skated away laughing. Earlier in the game, Yurov was clipped under his right eye by a high-stick from Mason McTavish. Asked what Kreider said to him, Yurov said, laughing, \u201cHe asked about my eye, and then said a couple funny Russian words to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Coach John Hynes, by the way, is liking what he has seen from Yurov between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello since the injuries to Marco Rossi and Ryan Hartman. He likes that he doesn\u2019t see a change in his game. Yurov scored his third goal of the season Sunday in Winnipeg, although it came on a partial change where he was skating with Foligno and Yakov Trenin.<\/p>\n DANILAAAAAA pic.twitter.com\/rcMDTH8rU1<\/a><\/p>\n
Support Team Marcus or Team Nick by donating $17 \u2014 or any amount you can \u2014 to fund breast cancer research through the V Foundation and #HockeyFightsCancer<\/a>. 100% of your donation will go directly to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/r4YPkxEL7w<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/M3A1733.jpg\")
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