Game 7 Scratch Will ‘Never Sit Well’ With Foligno

Former Boston Bruins winger Nick Foligno will never forget Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery making him a healthy scratch for the Bruins’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7.

Despite chipping in with a goal and two assists in the series’ first six games, Nick Foligno, a valued leader in the Bruins’ dressing room, found himself watching Game 7 from the press box. That became Foligno’s last memory as a Bruin. The unrestricted free agent signing rights to the 35-year-old winger and fellow winger Taylor Hall was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on June 26. In a recent interview on the ‘Cam And Strick Podcast,’ Foligno told host Andy Strickland that Montgomery’s decision not to dress the 6-foot, 210-pound winger for the do-or-die Game 7 on April 30 will ‘never’ sit well with him.

“That’s something you don’t prepare yourself for, or even think is gonna happen,” Foligno said. “I mean, that’s something ‘Monty’ (Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery) and I discussed — and I’ll keep that private — but it didn’t sit well with me. I think he knows that. It never will. When you’re a competitor, this is the time of year you play for. That one didn’t really sit well and never will.”

Nick Foligno talks about being scratched in Game 7 vs Florida. Safe to say it didn’t sit very well. Incredible conversation up now on all platforms. ⁦@CamandStrick⁩ #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/0GDe3k5JTf

— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) July 11, 2023

“That was hard, especially to see your team go out there and play, and you’re dying to be a part of it. It’s just one of those games — it’s do or die — so those are the ones you dream about and expect to be on the ice for. It’s unfortunate it happened, but that’s something that I’ve come to peace with it, at least in talking to Monty about it. We’ve moved on, but it’s something that I hope to never have happen again.”

Like so many Bruins fans, Foligno is still baffled by the fact that the Boston Bruins blew a 3-1 series lead and were one and out in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after posting the best record and most points in NHL regular season history.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t get the job done,” said Foligno. “It’s gut-wrenching because we had probably the best team I’ll ever play on — or maybe ever. I give Sweens a ton of credit. We had one of the best teams I think you’re gonna see in a long time, the way it was assembled. The depth and the overall look of our group, we just had no weaknesses, and it’s mind-blowing that we didn’t get it done.”