COMMENTARY
Gleason: Foligno's inspiration is his mom
The first thing Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff noticed was the kid's work ethic. He figured Marcus Foligno's relentless drive must have come from his father. Mike Foligno is remembered these days for The Leap, but 20 years ago, when he took over the captaincy from Ruff, he was respected more for his tireless work ethic.
Marcus Foligno resembles his father on the ice, which became evident last week during the Sabres' rookie camp. His nose is much straighter, of course, than the bobsled track that ran down Mike's face. Marcus shoots left, his father right. They're about the same size. If you close your eyes and listen, their voices even sound the same.
Actually, though, his inspiration comes from his mother, Janis. Check that. His inspiration is his mother, who has been battling cancer for the past five years. She was initially diagnosed with breast cancer and thought she had the disease licked before it returned last year, the way it often does. She came back fighting, the way she always does.
And that's what drives him.
"Seeing her every day puts a fire in your belly to go out there and play for her," Marcus said. "It's incredible to see what she does. She gets ticked off because she misses family events due to her sickness. She's such a battler, such a fighter and wants to be with us every day. And we have to settle her down. She wants to do things 100 miles per hour."
An ailing parent is difficult for any young child to understand, tougher yet for the baby of the family. Marcus, the youngest of the Folignos' four kids, was born in Buffalo before his father's last season with the Sabres. His only memory of Memorial Auditorium was the spiral staircase that climbed from the Sabres' dressing room into the exercise room upstairs.
He's so mature beyond his years that it's hard to believe he's only 17, technically a juvenile for another few weeks. He's bright, well spoken and comfortable in his own skin. His parents clearly have done a great job raising him, but it didn't make his mother's battle any easier.
Mike Foligno often knew Marcus was hurting inside, but he also could see his son channeling whatever emotions that raged inside of him into hockey. The rink became his escape. It was where he felt most comfortable, most alive.
"He's responded to the fact that he's going to make his mother proud," Mike Foligno said. "His mother has worked hard to bring him up, like a lot of hockey moms, to get their kids to the practices and games. He wants to take full advantage of everything she's done for him and not let those efforts go to waste."
Marcus blossomed over the past two years as he grew into his sturdy frame and evolved into an impact player with the Sudbury Wolves, the team his father coaches and manages in the Ontario Hockey League. For all he learned from his father, nothing has put the game more in perspective than what he took from his mother. She has been an example of perseverance and toughness.
"Seeing what she's doing makes you push that much harder," he said.
The trick for him now is to keep pushing in an effort to someday reach his potential. Foligno was known for his hard-hitting style in the OHL, but he has untapped offensive skill and a resilient desire to improve. You can't help but get excited when you envision his game five years from now, when he's 22.
He certainly didn't look out of place during the Sabres' rookie camp. He already has the size to match up with the older, stronger players around him. The natural strength that comes with age and added muscle that comes with fitness are certain to make him even more effective.
It doesn't take much to imagine him making The Leap someday, too, right into the NHL.
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