CHICAGO (AP) — Nick Foligno wants to help the Minnesota Wild win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history. He also wants to see a turnaround for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Foligno skated for 12 1/2 minutes in Minnesota's 4-3 overtime win over Chicago on Tuesday night in the first matchup between the Central Division rivals since the Wild acquired the 38-year-old forward in a trade with the rebuilding Blackhawks.
Foligno received a warm ovation when he was introduced with Minnesota's starting lineup, and Chicago paid tribute to its former captain with a highlight video during a timeout in the first period. When the video was over, Foligno took to the ice to wave to the cheering crowd.
“I think it's always nice when a former player, but not only a former player, a captain comes back to their old team and gets a reception like that,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “So I thought it was well done by the Blackhawks, the fans, and really good for Nick.”
The March 6 trade put Foligno on the same team as his younger brother, Marcus, and provided an opportunity to chase a long playoff run in his 19th NHL season. But leaving Chicago — after playing an instrumental role in the development of Connor Bedard and some of the team's young players — was difficult for him.
“As hard as maybe a couple parts of the seasons were, I love my time here and absolutely cherish being in the leadership role that I was but also just with a group of guys and then staff and playing for this organization,” Foligno said Tuesday. “It's one of the premier organizations in the league and it was special to be able to be a part of it.”
Foligno had dinner with Bedard and some of the Blackhawks on Monday night.
“Obviously it's such a rush when you get traded, especially on a game day. You're trying to stay out of their way,” Foligno said. “So it's nice to say goodbye in a way. Just catch up and see how things have been. I've obviously made it known how much I care about this group, so it was nice to see those guys.”
Foligno was acquired by Chicago in a June 2023 trade with Boston. He became the 35th captain in franchise history in September 2024.
Foligno had 35 goals and 48 assists in 189 games with Chicago, and the Blackhawks finished in last place in the Central Division in each of his two full seasons with the Original Six franchise. But Foligno served as a valuable, stabilizing resource as the team's top prospects began to break into the NHL.
“He was great with all of us,” Bedard said. “Him and all our older guys were really patient and good with us. So we’re very grateful for that. Obviously he was the leader of that, so there’s a lot of stuff we can thank him for. It’s an exciting opportunity for him to be with his brother and contending, but yeah, definitely a lot of good memories.”
Marcus Foligno, 34, is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, so the brothers haven't been able to play alongside each other since the trade. But Nick Foligno has made a smooth transition to life with Minnesota, collecting one assist in six games with his new team.
“He's come in, he's played some good hockey for us,” Hynes said. “I think he fits in well with the guys obviously with his personality and I think his experiences. So he's been a great addition for us.”
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Minnesota Wild left wing Nick Foligno (71) raises his hand as the Chicago Blackhawks honor him, as he was a former member of their team, during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, March, 17, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Minnesota Wild right wing Ryan Hartman, middle right, celebrates with left wing Nick Foligno (71) after scoring a goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won Tuesday's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, edging out two sitting members of the U.S. House to advance to a November general election against Republican nominee Don Tracy, former state party chair.
The retirement of U.S. Sen Dick Durbin, the Senate’s longtime No. 2 Democrat, triggered a competitive campaign on the Democratic side, drawing as candidates Stratton and U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, among others. Furious fundraising and sharp elbows marked the race, which tested the influence of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. The governor, whose name has been floated as a 2028 presidential contender, backed Stratton.
From questions about the cryptocurrency and AI industries to immigration enforcement to fracturing U.S. support for Israel, the state’s voters confronted such issues as super PACS poured in millions of dollars into hotly contested races.
A spate of House retirements led to open seats with crowded contests across the Chicago area where the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and PACs supporting the cryptocurrency and AI industries spent big on several contests. Most primary winners in the Democratic stronghold are expected to win in November, shaping a new generation of leadership in the state’s congressional delegation.
Stratton was among 10 Democrats and six Republicans in the race.
Krishnamoorthi dominated fundraising and the airwaves and was the first on television with ads in July. He started 2026 with over $15 million on hand after spending more than $6 million and raising more than $3.5 million in the final three months of last year, according to campaign finance records.
By comparison, Stratton started the year with $1 million after raising about the same amount and spending just under $1 million in the last three months of 2025. But last month Pritzker put $5 million in a super PAC largely aimed at helping get her elected.
She campaigned on Pritzker’s endorsement and lit into Krishnamoorthi at debates, particularly on the five-term Democrat’s voting record and donations from a contractor tied to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“That is not the example of somebody who’s going to stand up to Donald Trump and fight for all of our communities,” Stratton said during a debate in January. “I want to abolish ICE.”
Krishnamoorthi, who has called to dismantle the agency, said he donated the money to immigrant rights groups. He argued that Stratton zeroed in on him because she “didn’t have any policy ideas. She had to attack.”
Meanwhile Kelly took issue with Pritzker’s involvement, arguing that a sitting governor should not interfere.
Rochelle Brockenborough, 64, said she voted for Stratton at the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center in Chicago.
“I wanted to make sure there was no AIPAC money. That’s important to me,” she said, adding that U.S. tax dollars shouldn’t be used to support Israel.
Candidates touted ties to iconic Chicagoans including President Barack Obama and the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died last month. However, an endorsement touted posthumously by Stratton caused a snag as Jackson’s family withdrew it Monday, saying the draft was not meant for public release.
Tracy, an attorney who led the Illinois Republican Party from 2021 to 2024, bested five other candidates in the GOP’s primary. The state last had a Republican in the Senate a decade ago, when Mark Kirk was defeated by current Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
Election officials hoped to see busy polls after statewide turnout in the 2024 primary was 19%, the lowest in more than five decades.
Among issues reported Tuesday were complaints that poll workers in Madison County asked voters to show ID, drawing attention from the local elections office and the state attorney general. Officials in the southern Illinois county said the issue in one precinct was resolved. Showing an ID at a polling place is not required in Illinois.
Dozens of candidates ran for five open seats in the Chicago area, where funding from groups supporting Israel and the cryptocurrency industry played an outsize role.
In Kelly’s 2nd district, which spans parts of the South Side and suburbs and dips into the central Illinois farmlands, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller emerged as the winner of a crowded Democratic field that included former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., son of the late civil rights leader, and state Sen. Robert Peters. Miller will face off in November against Republican Michael Noack, who was unopposed.
Miller was backed by AIPAC, and that support prompted retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, of the 9th District, to withdraw her endorsement of Miller.
The open seat in Krishnamoorthi’s suburban 8th District attracted eight Democratic candidates and four Republicans. Former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean won the Democratic nomination.
Two other House members are retiring after long careers.
The 7th District of Rep. Danny Davis, who was first elected in 1996, covers parts of downtown, the West Side and suburbs. Thirteen Democrats were in the race including front-runners state Rep. La Shawn Ford and Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin.
Conyears-Ervin conceded to Ford late Tuesday, though The Associated Press has not declared a winner. Chad Koppie won for the GOP.
The primary field for Schakowsky's 9th District seat was the most crowded. Among the 15 Democratic candidates were Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, digital creator Kat Abughazaleh and state Sen. Laura Fine. Four Republicans were running.
Another open Chicago area seat was that of Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who announced that he would not seek reelection citing health and personal reasons. The Democratic primary was uncontested after Garcia quietly schemed to place his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, on the ballot without any Democratic competition.
Patty Garcia, who is not related to the congressman, will face Republican Lupe Castillo, who also ran unopposed, in November.
Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune who was unopposed in his primary, is the first governor to seek a third term since the 1980s.
One of President Donald Trump’s most vocal critics, Pritzker used his victory speech to tout his efforts to oppose the aggressive federal immigration crackdown in Chicago last year. He criticized Republicans' agenda, called Trump's presidency an “unmitigated disaster” and vowing to help Democrats across Illinois win in November.
“This is the fight of our lives,” he told supporters at a downtown Chicago hotel. “Everything we care about is under siege from Washington.”
Pritzker also made digs at Republican candidate Darren Bailey, a former state senator whom he handily defeated in 2022.
Bailey, among four Republicans vying for the nomination, said he was now doing things differently. For one, he focused more on Chicago voters by choosing running mate Aaron Del Mar, who leads the Republican Party in Cook County.
Bailey criticized Pritzker’s leadership, including blaming him for rising costs, saying, “He’s just another billionaire who has never once felt the pain he’s inflicted.”
Also in the Republican primary were Ted Dabrowski, a real estate developer; Rick Heidner, a video gambling magnate; and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick.
Associated Press journalists Mike Householder in Chicago and Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed.
Democratic candidate for Congress, Kat Abughazaleh smiles as she walks to vote on Election Day at Chicago Park District Loyola field house in Chicago, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), who is running in the Senate Democratic Primary Election, talks with election judges at Nerge Elementary School polling place in Schaumburg, Ill., Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Democratic candidate for Congress, Kat Abughazaleh, center, casts her vote in a primary election for the upcoming midterms, in Chicago, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Patty García speaks during a news conference to announce her candidacy for the fourth district congressional race, Nov. 12, 2025, in Cicero, Ill. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
