Hockey Day In Canada

Today is "Hockey Day In Canada" as coined by CBC for their all-Canadian broadcast today. Each year, CBC's Hockey Night In Canada travels to some small town where the spirit of the game is strong, and the dreams of playing under the lights is a twinkle in everyone's eyes. From outdoor rinks to NHL arenas, Canadians are always associated with hockey where ever you may be on this planet. While I'm not here to advertise for any companies, there is one other thing that Canadians are fiercely proud of: coffee.

Canadians are not like people from Seattle who have seen the likes of Starbucks and Seattle's Best Coffee and a pile of other upstart coffee peddlers try to carve out a niche in the hot beverage world. No, when you speak to Canadians about coffee, there is one name that stands above the rest: Tim Hortons. Isn't it fitting that Canada, hockey, and coffee are all woven together under this name?

Tim Horton was a proud Canadian and former NHL player. Tim Horton bought a couple of coffeehouses and renamed them after himself. Tim Hortons is a proud sponsor of Timbits Hockey, a minor hockey program that encourages as many youngsters as possible to play hockey. And Tim Hortons is a proud Canadian company.

Because of how all this is related, I've been extremely impressed with the commercials that Tim Hortons has produced about everything Canadian. Who knew a Canadian coffee company would produce such excellent hockey commercials?

Sidney Crosby was a Timbits hockey player when he was younger.

This is an exceptional commercial for the message contained within it. And, as strange as it sounds, Tim Horton's cups are present in garbage cans at every arena in Canada.

There are certainly more great commercials out there, but these two are my absolute favorites simply due to the messages that they carry. It's not about the coffee that Tim Hortons sells or any of their other products. These two commercials bring together proudly-Canadian three institutions: Tim Hortons, hockey, and family.

Sometimes, there's nothing better than a warm Timmy's at a remote arena watching kids play a game they love. That, to me, is Canada.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!