Nick Foligno on First Impressions | Chicago Blackhawks

first impression of first day of New School year. I’m excited. Yeah. So, I I loved uh everything about today. I think it sets the tone for what Flash is going to want, what our coaching staff wants, and and the standard that we want to have, right? So, um great first day. I thought the guys worked and we’re going to get better as camp gets on. But, uh just learning him and his standard and and way we go. I asked Jason Dickson this earlier, but in the couple years that you’ve been here, the rosters on this day have been very different. What do you think about this year with going from old last year if we’re honest to really really young? Uh I’ve been old a long time, so don’t offend me anymore with that. Uh yeah, I I think it’s exciting. I think it’s an exciting time for this franchise. I think it’s an exciting time for the group in here. Uh myself included, right? It’s uh there’s guys here that are going to push and help us get better and they’re going to be part of this core for a long time if they do it right. So, to me, it’s the start of something great and and I hope people take it serious and and the opportunity they have in front of themselves to to really run with this and make this team what everyone expects it to be in the years to come. So, uh it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s going to take some time, but um you know, it’s it’s it’s pretty cool to see the the the guys that are coming and what they have to offer and and helping them as as older guys in this room along the way here and uh and and hopefully building something that uh can stand it. You you mentioned the standard set setting standard here on the first day. Like watching from afar, it seemed like it was a more intense practice than maybe what you would have on a normal first day of training camp. Am I right in that? Oh yeah. Did Jeff Jeff also seems very vocal maybe out there compared to maybe other coaches. Am I right in that too? You think 100%. I think he’s understanding. He has to communicate for us to know exactly what he wants. Right. He he’s not leaving any gray area. He’s not letting us off the hook on anything. As you saw, you miss a pass, we’re skating. um you know, the standard is what he wants it to be and we have to follow suit. It’s part of my job is as one of the leaders to to make sure I’m a reflection of that and and make sure my habits are are where they need to be and and then everyone falls in line. So, um you know, as far as first days, I mean, I’ve kind of had a million different ones. Uh this was probably up there in one of the harder ones, but that’s that’s what you want. I I love that. I think it it just allows everyone to settle in and and the nerves kind of go away for some of the younger guys, and it’s time to work. And when you kind of when you work um it’s amazing how all the other stuff just just falls in line for you as a player and as a team. It seems like he was efficient with time. He looked like he was kind of to get in the circle, get started on stuff like and and I imagine on some level you like that in the sense like you get your work done and then you get done. Well, I’m just a big believer in that. Like you come in, you do your work and you get out of here, right? Like that’s the point. You don’t linger and stand around. And I just I don’t I find that’s useless energy. uh you come in here, you work, you should be you should be crawling off the ice or begging to get off the ice, not staying staying out later to shoot pucks. Uh especially right now. Um so I loved I thought, you know, even getting to know like our other coaches. Valuchcci was yelling hurry up and so you can kind of just already start to see their their mannerisms and, you know, I think we have a great coaching staff that’s going to, you know, really help us get to where we want to go. How about the speed? Just team speed this year versus last year. Yeah, I mean we’re flying. It’s it’s cool to see. Um I’m right up there with them, too. Uh, I’m excited about that, my training. Uh, but no, it’s it’s it’s awesome to see what we’re trying to become, right? Like there’s a standard and and an understanding of what Kyle and Norm and our management staff has tried to go out and attain and um or obtain, I should say, and and then it’s on us to go and do it. But you can see the speed, the tenacity, the hunger, which which we play, the skill level that we have. Um, so it’s just putting the the winning habits to that and uh I’m excited about blending those two. We saw that you hosted some of the young guys that you place this summer. How was that? It was a blast. Uh it was awesome. Better than I even expected just cuz you know you know you just never know if uh bringing them up there and making sure everything first of all all the travel went smoothly which was a miracle. Um you know bringing them up to the frozen tundra of Sbury. Uh but no they it was cool was for them to see where I’m from and uh share that with them and for them to see me away from the rink. Sometimes I think here it’s tough to to really show them that side. Right. I’m I’m an older guy. I got my family at home. I’m I’m busy during the season, but to to have a, you know, a time where I could bring them up and kind of be in my my neighborhood, my comfort zone, and then uh and show them, you know, what I’m all about as a person, I think it just kind of put their guard down and we had a lot of fun, a lot of laughs, and and we worked extremely hard, which is what I wanted to see from those guys. And uh it got me really excited about what’s to come here. Is that important to you as a captain, so you you know that the teams that are close off the ice, it translates on the ice, just getting that camaraderie? It’s cliche. I know it is, but it’s 100% true. Otherwise, people wouldn’t say it, right? As is how you are as a group off off the ice a lot of times dictates how you’re going to be on the ice. And I wanted guys to understand that, you know, I’m I’m in their corner. I’m I’m one of them, you know, as much as I’m older and I’ve done everything they’ve they’re trying to do or or are doing. And um you know, so it was fun like training with them and for them to see like I’m doing the exact same stuff you’re doing, right? And um you know and then you could see they were kind of shocked at first and then then I had to pound him a few times and uh but no it was it was a really great I I give them a ton of credit for coming up and and making that commitment. I think it shows a lot about them as people and uh and getting to know them. They’re first class kids and uh we had a blast. How many total? Uh seven guys. Seven guys. Yeah. My wife was uh ready to kick them all out the door. did another captain do that to you earlier in your No, I used to do it with the guys in Columbus and you know just co and everything got away from it but uh was able to bring it back this time and it’s a blast. It’s just something I I’ve enjoyed. Um first of all I’m proud of where I come from and I think sometimes when you show other people where you come from they can see your your humble beginnings and what family means. You know I had a ton of family dropping in. They’re like is this normal? I’m like yeah this is just every day. My dad’s next door, my brother’s next door. This is just how it is. So, uh, I think they were really, uh, impressed with that and, uh, it makes me proud to to say where I’m from and and also to to show those guys that, uh, you know, if you respect the game, then the game will respect you and hopefully they have long careers like I’ve been able lucky lucky enough to have. When when they host when you host, do you limit the old man jokes or did they bust? Oh, no. They were all out. Yeah. Actually, I knew I’ll tell you one, we we I shouldn’t say this, but whatever. We we did some cliff diving and uh, I knew I was old when I like sent them all up there and I was about to go and I’m like, you know what? I’m just going to stay and man the boat. You guys uh you guys go up there. Somebody’s got to stay here. So, I don’t want to tell them I whisted out, but I definitely did. I’ve already done it though when I was their age. So, I said I’m good. I I know I’ve done it. But those guys are that’s what makes them crazy is they just went up there and and jumped off these 40 foot cliffs and scared the out of me. Kyle would have been calling. That’s what I’m saying. A little trouble there. Yeah. That’s why everyone’s safe. We’re good. Yeah. Take this.

Captain Nick Foligno discusses excitement of working with new Head Coach Jeff Blashill and mentality for the upcoming season

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