Former Bruins Forward Takes Leave Of Absence From Blackhawks
Former Boston Bruins forward Nick Foligno is taking a leave of absence from the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks announced Foligno is stepping away from the team to be with his daughter as she undergoes heart surgery.
“Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno will be taking a brief of leave of absence as his daughter undergoes follow-up surgery related to her congenital heart disease,” the Blackhawks said in a statement on Wednesday. “Nick, nor the Blackhawks, will have any further comment at this time.”
Milana Foligno was born in 2013 with a congenital heart defect. She had successful open-heart surgery in Boston in 2013 and 2018.
Foligno credited Boston for saving his daughter’s life, so when he got the chance to sign with the Bruins in 2021, it was an easy call.
“A big thank you to Boston Children’s and, obviously, Nationwide Children’s in Columbus for allowing us to have a healthy daughter,” Foligno said in 2021, via NHL.com. “But Boston has a very special place in our heart because of that. My wife said (it’s) serendipitous in a way, of coming back to a place that gave us a chance to be a family in the first place. We’re really looking forward to that bond that was created.
“We love the doctors and the people in that hospital. We’re looking forward to playing in front of them, having them cheer us on. I think they were secretly cheering me on from afar, but now they’ll really have a reason to cheer from me, which will be great. And probably even more so to see how well Milana is doing; for them to see her on a more day-to-day basis will be really special. We’re pretty excited about being back in Boston for that reason.”
Foligno spent two years in Boston from 2021 until 2023 before signing a one-year, $4 million contract with the Blackhawks. He signed a two-year, $9 million extension with Chicago in January 2024.
To begin the 2024-25 NHL season, Foligno was named the 36th captain in Blackhawks history.
Foligno has skated in four games this season, recording one assist.