Mike Foligno was a hard-nosed right-winger with a heavy shot and an above average scoring touch. He played 1,018 regular season games for four different teams and was considered a positive influence on team chemistry wherever he played.
... That summer he was chosen third overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the newly-named NHL Entry Draft.
Foligno spent the prime of his career with the Sabres where he added a strong defensive game to his offensive prowess under coach Scotty Bowman.
By the 1988-89 season the Sabres used Foligno in a more grinding defensive role. The emergence of young players like Pierre Turgeon and the acquisition of veteran Rick Vaive reduced Foligno's offensive role and power play time.
In 1991-92 Foligno formed a useful "lunch bucket" line with Craig Berube and Mike Krushelnyski until suffering a badly broken leg just before Christmas. He worked diligently during his rehabilitation and was given some slack by new Toronto coach Pat Burns at training camp in 1992. His zest for life and the game put him in good stead with his employers and peers. Foligno scored 13 goals and played a solid checking role on the disciplined Maple Leafs. He was also an inspirational leader and scored a key overtime goal during game five of the first round playoff victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
... traded to the Florida Panthers a month into the season and played 39 games for the expansion club before retiring at the end of the year. He immediately declared that his first year away from the game would be spent entirely with his family. .
In 1997-98, Foligno was hird by the Colorado Avalanche as an assistant before becoming the head coach of the team's AHL affiliate in Hershey for the next five years. Following his stay in Hershey, Foligno returned to his roots and became head coach of Sudbury Wolves in the summer of 2003.
