One of the realities of following the Blackhawks for as long as I’ve known it is the Circus Trip, a two-week stretch in late November when the team vacates the United Center to make room for a bunch of animals and tightrope walkers and what have you. According to reports, the recently completed trek across the West Coast will be the Hawks’ final Circus Trip.
It’s fair to say this is some welcomed news in Chicago. The Circus Trip has long been a part of being a Blackhawks fan, dating back even before the move to the UC from Chicago Stadium, but it was never a great one. The Ringling Bros. added an unusual quirk to the team’s schedule that was an inconvenience as much as anything.
The Blackhawks have long taken the road trip in stride, so they probably won’t openly celebrate its disappearance too much. We can do that for them, though, because having the team leave Chicago for two weeks every year — then having a bunch of home games lumped together — was pretty irritating.
For one, maybe guys like Brent Seabrook and Brian Campbell can more easily have Thanksgiving at their homes in the Chicago area rather than having to celebrate it on the road each year.
I know there are just some realities to being a highly paid professional athlete and one of them is maybe missing out on some holidays at home, but who doesn’t like curling up on the couch after stuffing themselves with turkey and taters? I’m guessing the beat writers and other people who travel with the team haven’t loved being forced to annually spend Thanksgiving away from their families, either.
It’ll also be more convenient for fans, as Blake will touch on more below. Part of the problem with a lengthy road trip is that the NHL has to bunch together a bunch of home games for the Hawks. If you’re a season ticker holder, trying to attend three or four home games in a single week might be a tad much, especially around the holiday season when people are often extra busy shopping and such.
So I don’t think anyone will miss the Circus Trip, assuming it’s really gone. This is a tradition that can go away quietly. — Satchel
Torturing out-of-towners
When you grow up in Chicago and are finally forced to move away — be it for college, jobs, spouses, etc. — there are unquestionable cravings that follow.
You begin to think about the next time you’ll have a beef and sausage combo from Portillo’s or bike the lakefront or attend a Blackhawks game. You know you can knock out at least one of those if you return for Thanksgiving but you’ll never get all three.
See, as much as you want to wind down from a long few months of studying or adulting with a few hours at the United Center, the Circus Trip comes along to kick you in the teeth.
All of us out-of-towners had no hope of going to a Hawks home game before Christmas break at the earliest — when the fewest amount of games take place. The brutality of this road trip really hit fans these last eight years as the team became not only must-watch in terms of hockey, but also a must-see-in-person event in all of sports.
How to reward the fans that rarely get to see their team live? Send the Hawks away for two weeks just as everyone comes home. Every. Damn. Year.
When the schedule comes out at the beginning of the season, you know not to get your hopes up that there could be some overlap between Thanksgiving and a home game, but you always do, only to upset yourself.
It’s never a good sign when fans feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick a football.
Thankfully, the long nightmare is over.
So long, Circus. I honestly don’t know anyone who ever spent their money on you.
You won’t be missed. — Blake
Got any fond Circus Trip memories (or horror stories)? Post your eulogy below. We’ll keep a running log of them.