“We’ve Gotten Rid Of Some Distractions”: Nick Foligno Makes A Strong Statement About His Team

On paper, the Chicago Blackhawks lost 3-0 to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday Night. People may look at that on-the-box score and see a Stanley Cup contender beating down a lowly last-place team. That isn’t the actual case, though.

After two periods of play, the game was tied up at 0. Up to that point, the Hawks were playing a brilliant road match against an elite team. They just couldn’t find a way to put one past Scott Wedgewood who was playing out of his mind. 

In the third period, Nathan MacKinnon, the NHL’s leading scorer, made some things happen and a 2-0 game with an empty netter making it 3-0 sealed things up. Outside of not getting one past Wedgewood, they played a strong game. 

This ended a five-game point streak (3-0-2) for Chicago. They can absolutely say that things have been going well lately. In the postgame scrum, Nick Foligno had some strong words about the way the team has been playing. 

“There’s a cohesiveness with the group.” Foligno said about his new-look team. “We’ve gotten rid of some distractions, so to speak, and now there’s a group that’s trying to get better. Sometimes when you make hard decisions, they end up benefiting the group and you’re seeing that.”

This quote speaks volumes. Foligno isn’t necessarily a part of the long term plan but the team clearly values his opinion. They wouldn’t have made him captain if they didn’t. Foligno cares about the future of the team whether he’s there or not. 

Is he referencing Seth Jones who asked to be traded? That is certainly possible. He didn’t name anyone by name but that’s who made it public that they wanted to be shipped out of town. Why would the Blackhawks want to play with anyone who doesn’t want to be there with them? 

"Guys are playing together, they're playing for one another, they're playing to grow something here and not worried about what's gone on or what guys are feeling.” Foligno continued. “Everyone here is pulling on the same rope. We know we've got to pull ourselves out of this, and it's a credit to all the guys that, after a lot of distractions and the deadline, we're seeing a group that has come together here. It's encouraging."

The vibes are changing around the Blackhawks. It is now about youth and building something. Having a captain like Foligno galvanize the group is important. Based on his quotes, he is all in on what he sees. 

Making strong comments like these tells the story of a team that is on the rise at the end of what has otherwise been a hard year. With the players who don’t want to be there gone, they can move forward with a positive attitude.