Being a captain in the NHL means exemplifying leadership characteristics both on and off the ice, and Nick Foligno has shown he can do both.
He just completed his second season wearing the "C" for the Blue Jackets, and was a big part of the club's franchise-record 108 point regular season. Off the ice, he led by example and was involved in several community initiatives; in October, he and his wife Janelle made a $1 million donation to Nationwide Children's Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital to support pediatric congenital heart care and research. Their daughter, Milana, was born with a congenital heart defect and received care at both hospitals.
Here's more, from the club:
[Foligno] also teamed with Papa John's Pizza for the second year in a row on a promotion in which Papa John's donates a portion of the proceeds from sales of its "Defender" pizza and makes a $500 donation for every goal Nick scores to the Janis Foligno Foundation. The foundation was created in memory of Nick's mother, who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2009.
The Blue Jackets and Blue Jackets Foundation named Foligno the team's Community MVP for the second year in a row. He becomes the fourth Blue Jacket (Sergei Bobrovsky - Vezina, John Tortorella - Jack Adams, Zach Werenski - Calder) to be nominated for a league award this season.