Bruce Cassidy Has ‘A Lot Of Respect’ For Nick Foligno Reaching 1,000-Game Milestone

Nick Foligno earned Bruce Cassidy’s respect long before he joined the Boston Bruins.

The B’s head coach spoke glowingly about the veteran forward Saturday, weeks after he played his 1,000th career NHL game. The Bruins will honor Foligno’s milestone Saturday at TD Garden prior to their matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Cassidy used the occasion to highlight what he considers the most-impressive aspect of the the 34-year-old first-year Bruin’s achievement.

“I came up about 900-some odd short of it,” Cassidy said at a press conference, as seen in team-provided video. “I have a lot of respect (for) how hard it is to play in this league and play consistently and be effective consistently to stick around. Good for Nick. He’s a great guy. He’s new here, but you can tell why he’s so popular in dressing rooms. Just a fantastic guy.

“Very happy for him, his dad (former NHL forward Mike Foligno who played 1,018 games in the league), his brother (Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno) is on the way to 1,000. It’s quite an accomplishment for the Foligno family to be able to do that. I think it’ll be a first if Marcus makes it. … He (Mike Foligno) should be proud of it, and I think he is. He realizes, especially as you get older, how much work it’s taken to get there, perseverance and obviously talent.”

Foligno in mid-March stressed the importance his family and other professional supporters played in helping him reach the 1,000-game mark, and Cassidy extended the theme further Saturday.

NESN offers B’s fans the chance to learn even more about Foligno ahead of the ceremony, as we’ll premiere a new Bruins “My Story,” in which Foligno details his NHL journey. NESN then will air Bruins versus Blue Jackets in full, with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 ET. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and postgame coverage immediately following the final horn.