Welcome to the latest edition of Blackhawks Bytes, a series featuring quotes and comments from players, coaches, management, journalists and fans alike concerning everything Chicago Blackhawks. The purpose of this ongoing column is to capture a slice of the existing outlook, attitudes and culture surrounding the team. Please join me as we have some fun with the everyday, albeit fascinating aspect of human nature; the power of words.
The Chicago Blackhawks are getting their feet wet with their first few games on the 2024-25 season. They’re a respectable 1-1-1 in their first three contests, all on the road and against worthy opponents (Utah Hockey Club, Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers).
In the last edition of Blackhawks Bytes, we learned a little more about the club’s promising prospect group. But today, let’s delve into the players we’ll be watching for the next 79 games with the big club. All the below players have done their part to get the Blackhawks off to a promising start.
Foligno Defies Age
We start with the new Blackhawks’ captain, Nick Foligno. Now, we all know from last season Foligno likes to talk. As a matter of fact, he talks a really good game. He’s the ideal candidate to be a cheerleader for the team, saying all the right things and motivating the younger players.
Related – Blackhawks Name Nick Foligno 35th Captain in Franchise History
But believe it or not, this 36-year-old (he’ll be 37 on Oct. 31) still happens to be an asset on the ice. Last season, Foligno contributed 17 goals and 37 points, often-times playing on the top line mentoring Connor Bedard. As is turns out, he also raised his average ice time to 17:46 minutes, versus 12:22 minutes the season before when he played with the Boston Bruins.
Foligno’s longtime trainer, Cal McGibbon, has been logging Foligno’s workouts and training since he was 16 years old. With all this data, they noticed an interesting thing. Foligno’s test scores keep getting better!
As an example, this past summer the two focused on maximizing Foligno’s lower-body output. They crafted a new workout, but based it on exercises he’d done before. When McGibbon logged them in and compared them to former results, the data showed he’d actually gotten faster! This information backs up what you can see on the ice. Said…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…