Nick Foligno Feels ‘Very Fortunate’ After Celebrating 1,000 NHL Games

Nick Foligno was honored by the Boston Bruins on Saturday in a ceremony recognizing his 1,000th NHL game, which came March 15 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Though the achievement passed several weeks ago, the Bruins held the ceremony on Saturday. Foligno said he appreciated the Bruins scheduling the ceremony against the Columbus Blue Jackets, with whom Foligno spent parts of eight seasons and logged 599 games.

Prior to the game, Foligno was recognized on the ice alongside his family, where he accepted his silver stick from Bruins general manager Don Sweeney.

Speaking to reporters following Boston’s 5-2 win, Foligno acknowledged the emotional impact of the achievement and the ceremony.

“It was special,” Foligno said. “I’ve said it before, it’s hard when things are about you because I’m so team-oriented so I just wanted to win the game. But I did want to make sure I remembered this moment. It’s a special one in a lot of ways. Not a lot of guys get to do it, I understand that.

“I feel very fortunate and blessed to be around a lot of people that helped me get here. So I think that I’ve tried to use this as a way of thanking those people. Had a lot of family and friends in town. A lot of times the limelight’s shown on us, so it was nice to be able to kind of shine it back on them.”

Foligno’s father, Mike Foligno, also owns a traditional silver stick, having played 1,018 games in the NHL.