Just Have Fun

I'm not here to promote Tim Hortons in any way. Frankly, the fact that there was announcement today for the Brazilian-owned restaurant chain that they were partnering with Justin Bieber for new Timbits flavours only made me cringe, but I guess they're trying to appeal to a younger crowd than my demographic. However, one of the new commercials on TV features Sidney Crosby and a few Timbits hockey players answering questions, so I went down the rabbit hole as I was curious to see the longer clip that the company posted on YouTube with the kids answering questions.

I will admit that the four kids - Hudson, Aria, JD, and Kyle - are pretty funny with some of their answers, and producer Katelyn's pronunciation of a few names and places made me chuckle. I'm guessing that if they ever do an outtake reel, there might be even more laughs at some of the advice that the kids offered, but this is a pretty good start in remembering that we play the game as kids who have zero concept of the business of hockey. Which is also known as the dark side of hockey.

Without further adieu, have a chuckle at Sidney Crosby and the Timbits hockey players answering questions. Honestly, this is just a corporately-branded version of Kids Say The Darnedest Things or some similar show, so let's not get overly excited about Tim Hortons doing something unique or fun here. I will say that the concept does work, though, and it seems that the kids have the right mindset with Kyle's words of wisdom when he said, "Just have fun" as the answer to the meaning of life. We all could use Kyle's outlook when it comes to getting stuck in adulting.

It should be noted that Tim Hortons is a big supporter of minor hockey in Canada through Timbits Hockey, a program that opens the door for younger players at the U7 level to get into the game, experience hockey as part of a team, and learning through play. Partnering with Hockey Canada, Timbits Hockey sees over 100,000 kids in Canada enrolled in the game annually as Canadian kids get into the game as tykes with the hopes that discovering hockey at this age will lead to a life-long relationship with the game.

We could learn a few lessons from these kids in terms of keeping hockey fun for everyone, especially in light of all the horrible stuff seen in hockey lately. While hockey may be a business at the NHL level, we can't lose sight of the fact that we grew up just loving to play. Let's be more like Hudson, Aria, JD, Kyle, and Katelyn by discovering the joy in playing the game once again.

Take Kyle's rather savvy advice: "Just have fun!"

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!