Wiener’s Circle Trolls Canadian Stalwart Tim Horton’s to Support Chicago Blackhawks

Wiener’s Circle, Chicago’s legendary and abrasive hot dog stand, has a new target in its sights: Tim Horton’s. As part of a video showing their support for the Chicago Blackhawks (who on Saturday start a best-of-five game series versus the Edmonton Oilers), workers from the hot dog stand’s staff insulted Tim Horton’s, the Canadian doughnut and coffeeshop chain cofounded and named for the Hockey Hall of Famer.

“You motherfuckers even eat hot dogs out there?” a Wiener’s Circle worker asks Edmonton fans in Canada. “I know you eat Tim Horton’s poutine. or some shit...eh?”

The Wiener’s Circle, for those who don’t know, is a famous hot dog stand known for its hospitality. Workers routinely make fun of customers, lobbing insults about their appearances and clothing. It’s a tradition, especially for customers who have left the bars and need a late-night snack. The stand’s marquee in Lincoln Park, famous for supporting the Chicago Cubs and hurling insults at the Trump administration, currently reads: “Puck You Edmonton.”

The stand is also doing a promotion. The rules of “they fight a Canadian, you get a free hot dog,” are unclear. The basic premise is if a Blackhawk player (wearing the team’s scrutinized Native American-decorated sweaters) engages in fisticuffs with an Oiler on Saturday, customers will get a free hot dog on Sunday. Fighting is legal in hockey.

It’s unclear if the promotion applies to all Oiler players; not all of them are Canadian. For instance, Caleb Jones is on the Oilers roster. He’s American, the son of former NBA player Popeye Jones. Fights are rare occurrences in playoff hockey. There also seems to be a loophole. What are the rules on Canadian-on-Canadian violence? Will fans receive hot dogs if a Hawks player born in Canada throws down his gloves and engages with an Oiler of the same nationality?

The Wiener’s Circle crew, which has served customers curbside during the pandemic, doesn’t seem to care. Fans won’t be allowed to attend any NHL games, so the Wiener’s Circle is trying to fill the void in telling Oiler players and fans how Chicago’s fandom feels. In the video, a hot dog stand worker refers to Edmonton as “you maple syrup sucking, over friendly, beady-eyed little fuckers.”

There’s a small Tim Horton’s connection in Chicago. In the Wayne’s World movie series, which takes place in Chicago, the film features Stan Mikita’s Donuts, a fictional shop meant to parody Tim Horton’s and named after the Blackhawks’ own hall of famer.