Carrying their skates and sticks but wearing their pads, helmets and jerseys, the Blues boarded the bus for an afternoon skate in Nashville.

But that's what the Blues did Monday afternoon in Nashville as Bridgestone Arena worked to get the ice ready after seven performances of Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey circus, which left town Sunday night.

NASHVILLE - It's not every day a group of professional hockey players gets dressed in one rink, gets on the bus in full gear and then drives to another rink 10 minutes away.

"No leg room, no room beside you for the next guy," said defenseman Colton Parayko. "It's one of those things you did as a kid and it makes it fun."

The old dress and drive is a common occurrence in youth hockey, but for most of the Blues, it's been a long time since they've experienced something like this at the pro level.

"In college, we had a practice rink connected, so I never did this (in college)," Blues forward Jaden Schwartz said. "In Peoria in the American Hockey League, we did this a few times, but there you had to drive your own car after you got dressed."

"It's not ideal, but it's a little bit of bonding I guess you could say," Schwartz added. "We got a good laugh about it and everyone had fun with it."