Mike Foligno

Michael Foligno
Michael Foligno
Born	January 29, 1959 (age 67); Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey player, coach, scout
Years active	1979–1994 (player), post-1994 (coach and scout)
Known for	NHL right winger, "Foligno Leap" goal celebration

Michael Anthony Foligno (; born January 29, 1959) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who competed in the NHL for fifteen seasons spanning from 1979–80 through 1993–94. Following his playing career, he took on a scouting role with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Playing career

Originating from Sudbury, Ontario, Foligno spent part of his childhood in Italy, where he initially played as a soccer goalkeeper. Upon returning to Canada at ten years old, he shifted his focus to hockey.

Selected third overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, Foligno participated in 1,018 NHL contests, amassing 355 goals and 372 assists, totaling 727 points alongside 2,049 penalty minutes. His most productive offensive campaign occurred during the 1985–86 season with the Buffalo Sabres, when he tallied 41 goals and 80 points. While playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs in December 1991, he sustained a foot injury that caused him to miss a significant portion of that season.

Foligno is best known for his distinctive goal celebration dubbed the "Foligno Leap," a gesture his two sons have also adopted. Throughout his career, he wore a customized helmet due to an underdeveloped fontanelle.

Coaching and management career

Foligno held assistant coaching positions with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, and New Jersey Devils. He also served as general manager and head coach of the Sudbury Wolves, the team where his sons, Nick and Marcus, competed prior to their NHL careers.

On September 21, 2016, he became part of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights organization as a professional scout.

Transactions

December 2, 1981: Traded to the Buffalo Sabres alongside Dale McCourt and Brent Peterson in exchange for Danny Gare, Jim Schoenfeld, and Derek Smith.
December 17, 1990: Moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs with Buffalo’s eighth-round pick in the 1991 Draft (Tomas Kucharcik) in return for Brian Curran and Lou Franceschetti.
November 5, 1993: Transferred to the Florida Panthers in exchange for cash considerations.

Regular season and playoffs

1986–87 Buffalo Sabres NHL 75 30 29 59 176 - 1987–88 Buffalo Sabres NHL 74 29 28 57 220 6 3 2 5 31 1988–89 Buffalo Sabres NHL 75 27 22 49 156 5 3 1 4 21 1989–90 Buffalo Sabres NHL 61 15 25 40 99 6 0 1 1 12 1990–91 Buffalo Sabres NHL 31 4 5 9 42 1990–91 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 37 8 7 15 65 1991–92 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 33 6 8 14 50 1992–93 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 55 13 5 18 84 18 2 6 8 42 1993–94 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 4 0 0 0 4 1993–94 Florida Panthers NHL 39 4 5 9 49

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1975–76	Sudbury Wolves	OMJHL	57	22	14	36	45	16	4	3	7	6
1976–77	Sudbury Wolves	OMJHL	66	31	44	75	62	6	3	1	4	7
1977–78	Sudbury Wolves	OMJHL	67	47	39	86	112	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Sudbury Wolves	OMJHL	68	65	85	150	98	10	5	5	10	14
1979–80	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	80	36	35	71	109	—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	80	28	35	63	210	—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	26	13	13	26	28	—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	56	20	31	51	149	4	2	0	2	9
1982–83	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	66	22	25	47	135	10	2	3	5	39
1983–84	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	70	32	31	63	151	3	2	1	3	19
1984–85	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	77	27	29	56	154	5	1	3	4	12
1985–86	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	79	41	39	80	168
NHL totals			1,018	355	372	727	2,049	57	15	17	32	185

International

Year	Team	Event	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1981	Canada	WC	7	2	0	2	8
1986	Canada	WC	10	0	5	5	16
1987	Canada	WC	10	0	4	4	34
Senior totals			27	2	9	11	58

Honors

In 2004, Foligno was honored with induction into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.

Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular season							Post season
Team	Year	G	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	Finish	Result
HER	1998–99	80	37	32	10	1	85	3rd in Mid-Atlantic	Eliminated in first round
HER	1999–00	80	43	29	5	3	94	2nd in Mid-Atlantic	Exited in third round
HER	2000–01	80	34	39	4	3	75	5th in Mid-Atlantic	Eliminated in third round
HER	2001–02	80	36	27	11	6	89	2nd in South	Lost in second round
HER	2002–03	80	36	27	14	3	89	2nd in South	Defeated in first round
SUD	2003–04	68	25	32	6	5	61	5th in Central	First round exit
SUD	2004–05	68	32	23	6	7	77	4th in Central	Eliminated in second round
SUD	2005–06	68	34	28		6	74	3rd in Central	Lost during second round
SUD	2006–07	68	29	30		9	67	3rd in Central	Runner-up in OHL Finals
SUD	2007–08	68	17	46		5	39	5th in Central	Did not qualify for playoffs
SUD	2008–09	68	26	35		7	59	5th in Central	Defeated in first round
SUD	2009–10	68	26	35		7	59	5th in Central	First round playoff elimination

Personal life

Foligno was married to Janis until her passing in 2009, which occurred while he was coaching at Sudbury. Together they had four children:

Cara, who works as an educator in Buffalo.
Lisa Carey, a lacrosse athlete at Canisius College.
Nick Foligno, selected in the first round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, who later served as captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2015 to 2021, was subsequently traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and currently holds the captaincy of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Marcus Foligno, chosen 104th overall by the Buffalo Sabres during the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, earned a silver medal representing Team Canada at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, and presently competes for the Minnesota Wild.

External links