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Mike Foligno
Mike Foligno coaching.jpg
Foligno in 2012
Born (1959-01-29) January 29, 1959 (age 65)
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for Detroit Red Wings
Buffalo Sabres
Toronto Maple Leafs
Florida Panthers
National team Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
NHL Draft 3rd overall, 1979
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1979–1994

Michael Anthony Foligno (/fəˈln/; born January 29, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for fifteen seasons from 1979–80 until 1993–94. He was a scout for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Playing career

Foligno was born in Sudbury, Ontario, but spent his early years in Italy where he took up the sport of soccer, participating as a goalkeeper. When Foligno returned to Canada with his family at the age of 10, he was introduced to hockey.

Foligno was drafted 3rd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. He played 1018 career NHL games, scoring 355 goals and 372 assists for 727 points, while adding 2049 penalty minutes. His best offensive season was the 1985–86 season with the Buffalo Sabres, when he scored 41 goals and 80 points, both career highs. On December 23, 1991, while with the Maple Leafs, he broke his foot while playing against Winnipeg, causing him to miss a majority of the season.

Foligno is perhaps best known for his trademark jump, dubbed the "Foligno Leap", after scoring a goal. Both of his two sons have carried on the tradition of the Foligno Leap. Foligno is also known for the custom helmet he was required to wear throughout his career due to his fontanel not fully developing.

Coaching and management career

Foligno has worked as an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, and New Jersey Devils. He was previously the general manager of the Sudbury Wolves, and was also the head coach of the club, including the time when both of his sons, Nick and Marcus, played prior to playing in the NHL.

On September 21, 2016, it was announced that Foligno was hired as a scout for the expansion Vegas Golden Knights.

Transactions

December 2, 1981: Traded to the Buffalo Sabres along with Dale McCourt and Brent Peterson in exchange for Danny Gare, Jim Schoenfeld and Derek Smith.
December 17, 1990: Traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Buffalo's 8th round pick in the 1991 Draft (Tomas Kucharcik) in exchange for Brian Curran and Lou Franceschetti.
November 5, 1993: Traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for cash.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1975–76 Sudbury Wolves OMJHL 57 22 14 36 45 16 4 3 7 6
1976–77 Sudbury Wolves OMJHL 66 31 44 75 62 6 3 1 4 7
1977–78 Sudbury Wolves OMJHL 67 47 39 86 112
1978–79 Sudbury Wolves OMJHL 68 65 85 150 98 10 5 5 10 14
1979–80 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 36 35 71 109
1980–81 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 28 35 63 210
1981–82 Detroit Red Wings NHL 26 13 13 26 28
1981–82 Buffalo Sabres NHL 56 20 31 51 149 4 2 0 2 9
1982–83 Buffalo Sabres NHL 66 22 25 47 135 10 2 3 5 39
1983–84 Buffalo Sabres NHL 70 32 31 63 151 3 2 1 3 19
1984–85 Buffalo Sabres NHL 77 27 29 56 154 5 1 3 4 12
1985–86 Buffalo Sabres NHL 79 41 39 80 168
1986–87 Buffalo Sabres NHL 75 30 29 59 176
1987–88 Buffalo Sabres NHL 74 29 28 57 220 6 3 2 5 31
1988–89 Buffalo Sabres NHL 75 27 22 49 156 5 3 1 4 21
1989–90 Buffalo Sabres NHL 61 15 25 40 99 6 0 1 1 12
1990–91 Buffalo Sabres NHL 31 4 5 9 42
1990–91 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 37 8 7 15 65
1991–92 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 33 6 8 14 50
1992–93 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 55 13 5 18 84 18 2 6 8 42
1993–94 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 4 0 0 0 4
1993–94 Florida Panthers NHL 39 4 5 9 49
NHL totals 1,018 355 372 727 2,049 57 15 17 32 185

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1981 Canada WC 7 2 0 2 8
1986 Canada WC 10 0 5 5 16
1987 Canada WC 10 0 4 4 34
Senior totals 27 2 9 11 58

Honors

Foligno was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Coaching record

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T OTL Pts Finish Result
HER 1998–99 80 37 32 10 1 85 3rd in Mid-Atlantic Lost in first round
HER 1999–00 80 43 29 5 3 94 2nd in Mid-Atlantic Lost in third round
HER 2000–01 80 34 39 4 3 75 5th in Mid-Atlantic Lost in third round
HER 2001–02 80 36 27 11 6 89 2nd in South Lost in second round
HER 2002–03 80 36 27 14 3 89 2nd in South Lost in first round
SUD 2003–04 68 25 32 6 5 61 5th in Central Lost in first round
SUD 2004–05 68 32 23 6 7 77 4th in Central Lost in second round
SUD 2005–06 68 34 28 - 6 74 3rd in Central Lost in second round
SUD 2006–07 68 29 30 - 9 67 3rd in Central Lost in OHL Finals
SUD 2007–08 68 17 46 - 5 39 5th in Central Missed playoffs
SUD 2008–09 68 26 35 - 7 59 5th in Central Lost in first round
SUD 2009–10 68 26 35 - 7 59 5th in Central Lost in first round

Personal life

Foligno was married to wife Janis until her death in 2009 during his time as coach in Sudbury. They have four children:

  • Cara (teacher in Buffalo and formerly in the Dufferin-Peel Catholic school board)
  • Lisa (lacrosse player at Canisius College)
  • Nick was drafted in the first round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, made the 2007–08 Senators team and was the captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2015 until April 11, 2021 when he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of Mike's former NHL teams, and currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks
  • Marcus was drafted 104th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. Marcus won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and joined the Sabres in the 2011–12 season, and currently plays for the Minnesota Wild

See also

  • List of NHL players with 1000 games played
  • List of NHL players with 2000 career penalty minutes
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