Nick Foligno is continuing his huge off-the-ice impact this summer.
This time around, it's an annual fundraiser in his hometown of Sudbury, Ontario. The fundraiser is in the form of a hockey game between NHL players and Sudbury doctors at Sudbury Arena and will take place on Sunday, Aug. 11.
The large inspiration for the beginning of this yearly event was from Foligno's dedication to the NEO Kids Foundation, to raise money to purchase medical equipment, conduct research and eventually create a children's hospital in Sudbury.
Foligno's daughter, Milana, was born with a mitral valve defect in her heart - and has been a big inspiration for her father in his actions on and off the ice. Milana had a few struggles this past season which led to Foligno missing some regular-season time, but he's confident she's in a better place now.
"She's doing outstanding," Foligno told CBC News. "She's back to running around and being a typical five-year-old girl on a lake."
Sudbury is the typical landing spot for Foligno and his family during the offseason, obviously holding a huge place in his heart still to continue to desire to make such an impact in the community.
Along with Foligno and his brother Marcus, other NHL players such as John Tavares, Marc Staal and Tyler Bertuzzi will be joining the action.
"To be able to do both things where you're doing something for the good of the community, but also having a blast doing it, I think it just makes it that much more fun," Foligno said.
