Oh, brother, where art thou? Marcus and Nick Foligno are finally on the same NHL team with the Wild.

The sentimental side of the Wild trading for Nick Foligno was giving two brothers a chance to chase a Stanley Cup together on the same team. “I went through a few different remotes,” Mike said. “Wore them all out all at once.” It always bothered Mike when his sons played on the same day. Until recently, that meant flipping the TV between Nick’s games with the Chicago Blackhawks and Marcus’ for the Wild, with Mike trying to catch as much action of the two as he could. Now, though, he can tune in for one matchup since the Wild brought in Nick from the Blackhawks on March 6 for future considerations, what Marcus called a dream come true for their dad. “He’s just so excited,” Marcus said. “He gets nervous for our games, especially when [the] playoffs come. I’m sure it’s going to be really tough to watch. Knowing him, he’d rather just sit on the couch and watch our games on TV rather than be there in person because he knows the struggle and the pressure situation. But he’s thrilled and the whole family is.” Marcus, left, and Nick Foligno are four years apart in age. (Foligno family photo) Mike won’t need his remote at all as the best-of-seven against the Dallas Stars moves to Minnesota with the first-round series tied 1-1. Marcus, left, and Nick Foligno, pictured shortly after Marcus was drafted in 2009, have both had long NHL careers, just like their father, Mike. (Foligno family photo) Their mom, Janis, passed away in 2009 after battling breast cancer. Mike remembers Janis playing referee between Nick and Marcus while they were growing up. Marcus, who’s four years younger than Nick, would tattle on his older brother in Sudbury, Ontario. “We had a mini-stick room in our house,” Mike recalled, “and they were in there. They’d battle, and I had to replace the drywall a few times in that room because they were smacking each other into the walls.” Eventually, Marcus grew taller than Nick, and Marcus inspired Nick, who was drafted 28th in the first round by Ottawa in 2006. Marcus joined him in the NHL after he was picked in the fourth round by Buffalo in 2009 before getting traded to the Wild in 2017. Nick Foligno was captain of the Chicago Blackhawks before being traded to the Wild. (Brian Cassella) “I wanted to make sure I was a good example for him,” Nick said. “I wanted him to be proud of his older brother, so those were all good, motivating factors for me to be a good mentor for him, and I respected him. It was really cool that we had that relationship, and also going through some hardships together, you become close.” The brothers usually train together in the summer, and Mike linked their familiarity with each other’s tendencies to why they have jelled together on the same line — the two starting the series with Michael McCarron before getting split up as part of a lineup shuffle for Game 2 because of Mats Zuccarello’s injury. “It’s almost like I don’t have to say anything,” Nick said. “It’s not like I come to the bench being like, ‘What were you thinking there?’ I know what he’s thinking, and it’s just special for us to have a great player like Mac between us that can read the game really well and be that solid centerman that you need so we can go do our thing.” But finally playing together isn’t the only plus: The brothers are back in each other’s lives again on a daily basis like when they were kids. “He’s just always around,” Marcus said. “Just like the lifestyle of it all is even cooler because you at one point were with each other every day. I grew up with my mom like, ‘Nick’s got a game tonight,’ and you’re like, ‘We gotta go to Nick’s game tonight.’ It’s just one of those things that it’s back to that, and it feels good again.” Since Nick and his older sisters, Cara and Lisa, were the first to leave home, Marcus had less time with the family than his siblings, and Nick believes that’s why Marcus values family so much and spending time together. What makes Nick most proud is seeing how respected Marcus, an alternate captain for the Wild, is by his teammates, the staff and fans and how much he means to the organization. “Just Marcus’ stature here as a leader on this team, it’s been fun to come into it and see how he leads as an older brother,” Nick said. “So, it’s been honestly incredible to be a part of and something I’ll never take for granted. “I’m so thankful to be here and be part of this and continue to push this team to where we’re trying to get to go.” Marcus Foligno is an alternate captain for the Wild. (Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune) Where they’re trying to go is an exclusive club. Only 10 sets of brothers have won a Stanley Cup on the same team. But they’ll have each other along the way. “No. 1 is to first of all be able to play together ... and to be on the same team is incredible,” Mike said. “We know it’s rare. We’re all very, very thankful and hopefully optimistic looking forward to them having the greatest success of all, and that’s to someday carry a Cup to Minnesota.”