Nick Foligno hoping to meet Nick Sirianni after Halloween antics: 'We'll do the Spiderman thing'

EDMONTON, Alberta — Shortly after the Philadelphia Eagles hired Nick Sirianni in January 2021, Nick Foligno remembers then-Flyers coach John Tortorella being the first to point out their resemblance.

Hundreds if not thousands of people have pointed it out since. It's just an objective fact at this point that Sirianni is Foligno's doppelganger. And the Eagles coach and Blackhawks captain decided to fully lean into the joke this year.

Foligno dressed up as Sirianni for the Hawks' Halloween party last weekend, donning a brown wig, Eagles visor and headset. Then he was shocked to see a photo circulating social media Friday showing Sirianni walking Philadelphia sidewalks wearing a No. 17 Hawks jersey on Halloween.

"I had a good laugh," Foligno said. "He was a great sport about it. I give him credit, especially in the Philly sports market, to rip a Chicago Blackhawks [jersey]. But I think it shows his personality. He gained a lot of points in my eyes just for the fun of it."

They didn't coordinate these outfits together, and they've never actually met. But Foligno would love to make that happen someday.

"We'll do the Spiderman thing where we just point at each other," he added. "Especially when they won the Super Bowl, everybody was like, 'Dude, how did you win the Super Bowl and get back for your game last night?' It's funny how that became a thing."

Defensive role

Foligno enters Hawks' matchup Saturday against the Oilers still searching for his first goal of the season, although he has tallied four assists in his first eight games. He's averaging 14:45 of ice time per game, largely on the fourth line.

"I'm probably more in a defensive role than I've been, but still I can find ways to be a contributor," he said.

He continues to be impressed by the adaptability of this young Hawks team, which certainly makes mistakes — like opening themselves up too much on the road Thursday in Winnipeg — but doesn't get flustered by them.

"It seems like we learn these lessons quickly," he said. "I give these guys a ton of credit: they care a lot, they want to be better and they want to win. I've been really encouraged by how we refocus after something goes wrong. Whereas before we would kind of spiral, we start to catch ourselves."