In the offseason, hockey doesn’t
make the headlines. But dig a little and you’ll find some stories. Just not the
kind that show millionaire athletes behaving badly that seem to predominate
during the offseason of other professional sports.
Take Nick Foligno, the captain
of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Foligno is from Sudbury, the hub of the Ontario
Northland. In about a month, he’ll be back at it, playing pre-season games in preparation
for another long, exciting NHL hockey campaign.
Now, he’s captain of another
team. Here’s the scoop (an excerpt from news coverage …)
In October
2013, [Foligno’s] daughter Milana was born with a rare congenital heart defect.
After her condition was diagnosed at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in
Columbus, she received lifesaving surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital when
she was just three weeks old. Three year later, as a way to honor Milana and
recognize the tremendous work at both institutions, Nick and his wife, Janelle,
donated $1 million to the two hospitals.
Since 2015, Foligno has served as honorary chair of the NEO Kids Foundation, a hub for specialized children's medical care in northeastern Ontario, the benefactor of the second annual Docs vs. NHL hockey game that happened last week.
About 700 folks
came out in support of the cause in Sudbury, to see world-class players suit up
with physicians from the city’s Health Science North. This year Foligno was joined
by others on his Columbus team: Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski, Josh Anderson, Scott
Harrington, and former Jacket and current New Jersey Devil, Dalton Prout.
Hockey players
don’t make money on the scale that football, basketball and baseball players
do. But they do make millions in an average career – and more often than not they
donate time and some of that money to social causes, frequently involving the
most innocent of human beings, sick kids.
No, they don’t
make headlines. But, man, their display of selfless character as a group is
enough to keep me digging during the offseason to find out more about their stories.
Be a fan of the
game, but also of the individuals who play it. Profiles of courage are one
thing; profiles of kindness, that’s something we can all emulate.
Next: Running for Your Life: Why I’m Not ‘Treading’ These
Days
