Nick Foligno Autographed Card

Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno checked Colorado Avalanche winger Pierre-Édouard Bellemare with an elbow to the head last night, an action he himself described as having made him "sick to his stomach". Today, the verdict came in: he'll be suspended for three games.

That number seems right, considering Foligno's prior disciplinary record shows just a single fine in parts of 13 seasons in the NHL, and because Bellemare suffered a concussion and will also miss time due to the hit.

Foligno had a career year in 2014-15, posting 73 points when his career average had him oscillating between 35 and 45 points per season instead; he regressed to his mean (37) the following year only to bounce back with 51 in 2016-17, but has since been a 33-35-point player, playing second fiddle on left wing behind superstar Artemi Panarin.

That outlier season resulted in his signing a six-year, $33M deal averaging $5.5M per which expires next season; ironically, 35-40-point players now go for $4.5 to $5M, and his being captain can sort of account for the bonus money, so he's actually not all that overpaid this year, but the last two (and 2015-16 even more so) were disappointing by a cost-of-point measure.

Here he is paying tribute to his father's - Buffalo Sabres 19880s star forward Mike Foligno - goal celebration, on card #RH19 from Upper Deck's 2007-08 Series 2 collection and Rookie Headlines sub-set:

He signed it in blue sharpie in his final year with the Ottawa Senators, in 2011-12, tagging his uniform number (71) at the end, which is a perfect fit for my Sens Numbers Project.

Nick Foligno: Two Autographed Cards

(As per years past, this is a twin-post with my "regular" blog, where I predicted the Columbus Blue Jackets would finish eighth - or fourth, but mostly eighth - in the Metropolitan Division in 2019-20).

My thing is, you don't leave a good team to try to find another one. What we're building in Columbus, everyone is excited to be part of it. You want guys fully on board.

That's Nick Foligno. The captain's words couldn't be clearer: the departures of unrestricted free agents Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky over the summer left a sour taste in many players' mouths, and head coach John Tortorella as well:

I'm pissed. Yeah, I'm pissed. I'm pissed for my players. I'm pissed for my organization. And I'm pissed on behalf of my city.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for all of them. I do. A tremendous amount of respect. But don't talk about goddamn winning, like you want to go somewhere to win. It's right there in front of you. I respect them all. But I don't want to hear 'I want to win' when it's right fucking here. I respect them, but I'm really pissed. It was right there, where we were really progressing.

And that's where I agree wholeheartedly with all of them - when these guys were kids, the Columbus Blue Jackets didn't exist; none of the Jackets' players and staff dreamed of playing for them, and probably not even for a team that hasn't been around for two whole decades, doesn't have much history let alone that of winning (and had never actually won a playoff round before). But they all landed there, and not only did they make the best of it, they were starting to make a habit out of getting on the at-times-champions Pittsburgh Penguins' nerves, particularly Sidney Crosby.

When they landed against one of the best teams of all time - the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning - in the first round, they didn't just lie down waiting for a beating, they took the game to them and did the impossible: they swept the Bolts in four straight games.

Coach Tortorella and GM Jarmo Kekalainen built a system and a roster, respectively, that enabled a small-market team to rival the greats. It's even better when they can rely on superstars to support it and add an extra layer of offense, but it's effective enough to stand on its own. And something Torts is adept at is creating team spirit, team chemistry. Whether he unites the team against himself or instills an "us-against-the-world" mentality, he always knows exactly the right buttons to push to have his teams work as a single unit.

21 of the 23 guys on last year's opening roster had that, from Foligno to goal-scoring machine Cam Atkinson to 21-year-old #1 centre Pierre-Luc Dubois to star defender Seth Jones to his partner Zach Werenski to Team Canada alumnus David Savard to 25-and-under drafted and "home-developed" talents like Ryan Murray, Boone Jenner, Josh Anderson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Alexander Wennberg, Markus Nutivaara and Lukas Sedlak to acquired defensive veteran leaders like Brandon Dubinsky, Scott Harrington and Mark Letestu.

The other two have left for cities with brighter spotlights, leaving the bulk - the core - to deal with the unfinished business at hand: pursuing further playoff success. Foligno, having had separate health scares to his two children last season, is particularly looking forward to a full season of just concentrating on hockey.

I thought it'd be nice to showcase his ascension in the Blue Jackets' ranks with these two cards, first sporting the alternate captain's "A" on card #56 from Upper Deck's 2015-16 Series 1 set:

And here he is sporting his current captain's "C", on card #37 from Upper Deck's 2017-18 MVP set:

He succeeded Rick Nash (2008-12) in the title in 2015 (the position had been vacant for two seasons). The previous wearers of the "C" had been Adam Foote (2005-08), Luke Richardson (2003-05), Ray Whitney (2002-03) and Lyle Odelein (2002-02). There's a strong tradition of the captaincy remaining with strong, blue-collar-type players which, in my opinion, is a good thing. You want guys who set the example for the rest, and effective hard-working guys who are good enough to occupy the middle of the line-up and/or have Stanley Cup-winning experience is a plus.

Foligno, son of hard-working semi-star Mike Foligno, is that kind of guy on this team, no longer the #1 (Dubois is) but still the team's heart and soul; I figure the next in line for the title is Jones. He signed these two cards in fading black sharpie in February, after scoring a goal in a loss to my hometown Montréal Canadiens.

Nick Foligno Autographed Card

Earlier this season, outspoken head coach John Tortorella said that he was disappointed in his Columbus Blue Jackets' lack of leadership. Nick Foligno is the Jackets' captain. With the team now out of playoff contention, Torts was asked if he had given thought to revoking Foligno's captaincy, perhaps in favor of Brandon Dubinsky, who used to play for him with the New York Rangers and does have a fairly big presence in the dressing room... but the coach said no.

I guess the question was asked because, back in his Tampa Bay Lightning days, he'd stripped Vincent Lecavalier of the "C", and old habits die hard, particularly on a hard-ass. But the one thing about Tortorella is he knows what buttons to push and who to push which buttons on. And he seems to be communicating with his current captain, which means he's taken a liking to him and wants to see him grow into the role. Probably.

Still, like for the Montréal Canadiens' Max Pacioretty, it hasn't been an easy season for the first-year captain, with his team standing at 31-40-8 for 8th in the Metropolitan Division (after starting off with an 0-7 start under Todd Richards), and with his personal stats line showing nearly a 50% drop from last year:

2014-15: 31 goals, 42 assists and 73 points in 79 games
2015-16: 9 goals, 25 assist and 34 points in 68 games thus far

Sure, he's no longer playing with Ryan Johansen, but he's got Seth Jones feeding the offense from the back end, though.

I have quite a few Foligno signed cards to feature, but I'll start with this stand-alone one I got in the mail over a year ago showing him with the OHL's Sudbury Wolves' beautiful white uniform:

It's card #280 from In The Game's 2005-06 Heroes And Prospects set, which he signed in blue sharpie with his jersey number (16) tagged at the end. He was chosen 28th overall by the Ottawa Senators later that year at the NHL draft.

Nick Foligno Jersey Card

It seems most of my recent posts were subconsciously leading me to this one... the Columbus Blue Jackets announced yesterday that Nick Foligno would be their new captain. The title had been vacant since Rick Nash (2008-12) was traded to the New York Rangers three years ago; the other four previous captains were Adam Foote (2005-08), Luke Richardson (2003-05), Ray Whitney (2002-03) and Lyle Odelein (2000-02).

Foligno, like his brother Marcus Foligno (obviously), is the son of former Buffalo Sabres great and captain Mike, who coached both sons with the OHL's Sudbury Wolves. Nick was a first-round draft pick, though, so he was always sort of expected to be an impact player, whereas Marcus was selected 104th overall, probably thought of more as a role player (and he's a fine one at that).

But Nick has suited up for Team USA three times - at the 2003-04 U-17 Worlds, and at the 2009 and 2010 World Championships, wearing the alternate captain's ''A'' the second time. He also played in the last All-Star Game and was named the captain of one of the two teams (partly because the game was held in Columbus), and finished with a (roughly) point-per-game average for the first time in his NHL career with 31 goals, 42 assists and 73 points in 79 games.

He signed a six-year contract extension that kicks in next year, valued at $33M and averaging $5.5M per on the cap; whether or not he replicates this year's numbers (I think he mostly will, 4 times out of 6, he's that talented and has hit his stride, but teams will concentrate on stopping him with their best checkers more), he'll be worth it as the cap increases and 5.5 starts looking like a second-liner's wage.

In the meantime, here's a look at a classic example of a (beautiful) Frankencard:

It's the dual-jersey insert version of card #72 from Upper Deck's 2013-14 Artifacts set (numbered 89/125) showing him in the Jackets' terrific alternate uniform, which features two red jersey swatches from his days with the Ottawa Senators. Still, I don't mind the clash/contrast in colours, probably because Artifacts is always a great-looking set with a simple, classy design.