Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno returned to practice Monday after a five-day leave of absence for his daughter’s heart surgery.
Milana Foligno, 12, was born with congenital heart disease and first had surgery at 3 weeks old.
“Obviously very stressful, but we found a lot of comfort in the support of the hockey community and the fans, the old teammates and my second family here,” Foligno said. “It’s amazing when you go through a hard time how everyone bands together to send you a ton of support, love and prayers, and it was felt by our family, so we appreciate it so much.”
The follow-up surgery was a success, Foligno said, and Milana is back home and doing well.
“She’s probably the one that gives us the most strength with the way she’s handled this adversity,” Foligno said. “It’s impressive for a 12-year-old girl to handle it face on.
“We were able to get her seen quickly and ahead of what could have been a lot worse, so (I’m) really thankful and our family is so humbled and appreciative for all the support and love. I’m so thankful to be back around the team. It’s a good sign of things to come.”
The 37-year-old left wing may have had to shake off some rust during his first practice back, but he said it was nice to get back into the swing of things.
“It’s the beginning of the healing process,” Foligno said. “I’m excited for Milana to get back to school eventually, and I get to go back to work and be around the guys.
“It helps to distract yourself from what’s going on at home. But I’m so proud of how she’s recovering, and she’s an inspiration to me and probably a lot of people that she’s around.”
Coach Jeff Blashill has had to work around the absence of Foligno and other players with different lineups. He was relieved to see his captain back at Fifth Third Arena.
“He’s our leader, so you want that presence in the locker room and he brings good energy,” Blashill said. “Considering the situation, everything went pretty good. Happy that was the case and I feel good for their family that it went as best as it could.”
Foligno kept tabs on how his team was doing. The Hawks went 2-0-1 in his three games away, beating the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks and falling to the Vancouver Canucks in a shootout.
“I’m very proud of the group, especially seeing the way they went in St. Louis and the way they’ve handled themselves,” Foligno said. “(I’m) seeing so much growth. We’re a team that’s learning so much on the fly, and I’m so proud to watch that.”
Things are getting somewhat back to normal for Foligno. Now, with two assists in four games this season, it’s time to get back to work.
“They want to be part of winning and it’s showing in the games and the way we’re playing,” Folingo said of his younger teammates. “I hate watching, so I’m excited to get back with the group and it’s probably a good sign that I still want to play this much at this age.”