The Foligno Leap: Like father, like sons

Like father, like son, Mike Foligno does trademark leap after scoring a gal in 1985, while at right, his son Marcus does a Foligno leap of his own in 2012.  Source: https://imgur.com/r/hockey/9f8Wg8t
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He was a great player, who scored some great goals, but what set Mike Foligno apart was his celebration: “The Foligno Leap.” He leaped with both skates in the air, after a two-foot take off.

And he did it right up until his final goal in 1994 with the Florida Panthers.

The career
Mike Foligno played his junior for Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League. The Detroit Red Wings took him third overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, and he joined the team in the fall of 1979.

He had 36 goals and 35 assists for 71 points in 80 games in his rookie season, 1979-1980, then had 28 goals and 35 assists for 63 points in the 1980-1981 season.

In 26 games in the 1981-1982 season, Foligno had 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points when he, with Dale McCourt and Brent Peterson were traded to the Buffalo Sabres for Danny Gare, Jim Schoenfeld and Derek Smith.

He would have his best seasons in Buffalo, scoring at least 20 goals in every season from 1981-1982 to 1988-1989. His best season was 1985-1986 when he scored 41 goals and added 39 assists for 80 points.

He would join Toronto part way through the 1990-1991 season and stay a Leaf until a trade to Florida during the 1993-1994 season.

He retired at the end of that season, playing a total of 1,018 career NHL games, scoring 355 goals and 372 assists for 727 points.

Legacy
Mike Foligno worked as an assistant coach for several NHL clubs and was coach and general manager of the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL, the same team he played for.

Both his sons, Nick and Marcus, played for him at Sudbury before going on to the NHL.

This is where it gets cool.

Nick, the older brother, made it to the NHL first.

He was taken 28th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators.

Then, on Oct. 18, 2007 against the Montreal Canadiens and netminder Carey Price, Nick scored his first goal. His mother Janis phoned father Mike who was on the road to tell him Nick had scored his first NHL goal.

Better yet, she taped it for him.

When Mike Foligno got home around two in the morning, Janis turned on the game.

Suddenly Nick Foligno scores – and he does a leap.

Proud dad said it was kind of humbling.

Marcus was taken 104th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, the team his father played on for 10-plus seasons.

It was March, 2012, while in Buffalo and playing against brother Nick’s Ottawa Senators that Marcus scored his first NHL goal. However, he was not sure he had scored so, on March 14, 2012, he scored in Buffalo and – does the Foligno Leap.

Like father, like sons.

Parting thoughts
Seeing Mike Foligno score a goal was a sight to behold. It was pure joy every time he put the puck in the net and did his trademark leap.

It was really neat to see that his two sons, once they got to the NHL, followed in their father’s footsteps and did the leap too.

Both leaps were special for different reasons. Nick was first, while Marcus scored wearing the jersey of the same team as his father.

Currently Nick is captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets, while Marcus plays for the Minnesota Wild. Interestingly, neither of those teams even existed when their dad played in the NHL.

Mike wore number 17, and both sons have followed in his footsteps there too, wearing 17 at one time or another.

Family lines, and the Foligno leap, run deep in the family.