Frank Nazar settles into his wide, comfortable seat on a private first class plane, right after he parked his car at the gate, walked straight onto the runway and up the plane’s stairs. He is handed a menu from which he can order different meals — healthy salads, hearty steaks, all on real plates and with real cutlery.
The plane rolls onto the runway and takes off in a few minutes. No delays. No O’Hare runway congestion. It’s just legroom and clear skies ahead, followed by 12 days at the Ritz Carlton, the Four Seasons, or any of the finest five-star hotels in the cities to come.
While sitting there, a thought dawns on him: It’s pretty cool to be on the NHL’s away trip.
– It’s funny that you said that, because I was really thinking about it yesterday on the plane, Nazar said last Thursday in Winnipeg.
– Since my first game and my trip, everything has been pretty crazy: the food you get, the seats you sit in. It just shouldn’t be taken for granted. You have to be grateful for where you are, the opportunity you have and everything that is given to you.
Nazar’s Chicago Blackhawks hit the road last week for their longest road trip since the 2016-17 season, when Ringling Brothers and Disney took turns evicting them from Chicago’s United Center for a couple of weeks at a time.
Winnipeg, Edmonton, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary and Detroit. Six cities, 12 days, 4,363 air miles.
And they couldn’t wait.
– I’m still excited, captain Nick Foligno said.
– It’s also difficult — when my children grow up, they love that I play hockey, but they also grieve when I leave for several days. You know it. But I’m still a kid at heart. I get excited when I get to travel with my friends. This is my second family.
Lists of places to eat
Foligno will play his 14th game in Edmonton during the away trip. It will be his 15th time in Vancouver, 14th in Calgary and 20th in Detroit. He has a favorite restaurant in every city throughout the league.
For the Blackhawks’ younger players, these are often still new experiences. Nazar may be an established NHL player with a long-term contract, but playing in Vancouver or Seattle is a completely new experience for him.
– I thought about it before the season, he said.
– I tried to count the places I haven’t been or played: both arenas in New York, Philly, Toronto. I think I’ve played against all the teams, but not in their home arena.
There’s something special about stepping into the arena for the first time: exploring the facilities, staring at the flags hanging from the ceiling, and reflecting on some of the legends who have skated on the same ice before.
– It’s really dawning on me, rookie defenseman Sam Rinzel said.
– It’s definitely cool. Every new team I play against is like a new thing I get to see. It’s exciting and fun.
Fun is the key here. Being on the road means hostile crowds, tougher opponents, and unfamiliar environments, but it also means long dinners at fancy restaurants, casual moments hanging out and playing video games in the hotel, and unplanned excursions. Even in the rink, the players are more relaxed during off-day practices because there is no home to rush to.
Wyatt Kaiser and Louis Crevier wandered around Seattle aimlessly for hours last year. A group of Blackhawks players took a scenic tour of Stanley Park in Vancouver. On last year’s trip to California, the beach was a popular destination, and a bunch of Blackhawks players stopped by Disneyland before the Anaheim game.
Nazar goes to the movies when he gets the chance. Although coach Jeff Blashill’s training schedule is demanding, there is plenty of free time along the way.
The young people have not done much preliminary research for this trip. They don’t browse TripAdvisor for restaurants or museums. Sometimes they ask Foligno, Connor Murphy or Jason Dickinson for recommendations, but eventually they all find their own favorite spots.
Stumbling upon a new favorite place by chance is part of the fun of traveling.
– I’m going to start writing a list of places to eat in different cities so that I know where to return in the future, Nazar said.
– And if someone you know comes into the game and asks for recommendations, boom, you just send that list. Some guys are really good at it and I have to learn from them. They know exactly what’s coming, what to go see, where to eat.
Frank Nazar is Chicago’s young up-and-comer. David Banks – Imagn Images
“I never drank so much”
Social life on the road is pretty laid back these days, for obvious reasons. Social media and the ubiquity of cameras have made it much more difficult for a hockey player — whether he’s famous or relatively unknown — to go out and relax in the city. In addition, the new generation of hockey players treats their body like a temple. For many of them, dinner means a glass of water and early bedtimes.
On Wednesday night in Winnipeg, Foligno barged into Nazar and Connor Bedard’s room to watch Game 5 of the World Series. In another era, it would have happened in a bar, and the night’s decline would have been dizzying. The Blackhawks of the early 2010s were known for coming into bars with a group of 15-20 people and taking over a place like Legends in Nashville or the Roxy in Vancouver. But those days are long gone.
– It’s not my style. I don’t do anything like that, Nazar said.
To Foligno’s chagrin.
– The last time I did that was with the Bruins (in the 2022-23 season), when we had an incredible year, Foligno said.
– There was an older team then. I swear I’ve never drunk so much in my life. And we won every game. So maybe there’s something to it. If you drink, you never lose! Guilt makes you work harder the next day. The senior team understands that. Young people are always that ‘I’m so tired.’
Of course, Foligno laughs at the whole thing, but there is a touch of truth in every joke. What Foligno really misses from the old days are airplane and bus trips in the time before cell phones. Then guys would kneel on their seats and lean over their backs to have long — often heated — conversations about any topic or simply share funny stories and tease each other.
Nowadays, everyone has headphones in their ears, their noses are on their phones or iPads.
– To be honest, it’s sad, Foligno said.
– Phones and Wi-Fi in the plane have ruined it. I’m guilty myself. I talk on the phone with my family or do something else with it. But before you talked to your neighbor. Now you are just a prisoner of your own thoughts. I know it helps the flights go by faster, but I love and miss the times when everyone played and hung out together. We don’t have that much anymore. I definitely bring it up often, but they (young players) probably roll their eyes every time I talk about the old days.
Nick Foligno is part of the Blackhawks’ experienced guard. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
No internal clicks
However, that common spirit remains in the cities. When the team gets off the bus and enters the hotel lobby, one player announces that they are going to an Italian restaurant, another maybe to a steakhouse, and everyone is welcome to join. If the player goes for a walk, he announces it to a few friends or in a group chat.
The biggest encouraging thing for Foligno is how random the groupings are. As a veteran and captain, it is sometimes his responsibility to organize the collective spirit. But with this team, he hasn’t had to do that much.
– Now it happens naturally, he said.
– It’s amazing how this team really enjoys each other’s company. I’ve been in teams at the beginning of my career where, unfortunately, there were small cliques. But here everyone likes to be with everyone. Seeing different groups of friends going out to dinner or all of us together at dinner. It makes the trip much more fun.
Ice hockey is still the main thing. Blashill held off-day practices in Edmonton, Seattle and Calgary, with games every other night. The Blackhawks might earn an extra day off with a particularly strong performance, but after a sloppy game like Thursday night’s 6-3 loss at Winnipeg, practice is not only necessary, but welcome.
– We are a hardworking team, we are here to work, Crevier said.
– We see this as a business trip. You do your thing and then you come home.
Crevier’s mother asked him last Wednesday if he has played in every NHL arena yet. With the experience of sixty-six NHL games, he is not even close.
Every city is a new experience, Crevier said, every new perspective.
And yeah, the hotels are pretty sweet too. Especially after playing a couple of years in the American Hockey League.
– The treatment we received is amazing, Crevier said.
– Those nice hotels — you feel really good there.
This article was originally published at The Athletic.
Main article image: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
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