TORONTO, Canada – Tim Hortons is launching a new hockey diversity, equity and inclusion campaign, Let’s Up Our Game, rooted in the belief that it’s time that the game we love becomes more inclusive and welcoming.
“Given the conversations that Canadians have been having in recent months about the future of hockey and how to improve the game’s culture, we believe there’s no time like the present to help promote a positive change in the game across Canada that is reflective of the diversity that belongs in hockey,” says Hope Bagozzi, Chief Marketing Officer at Tim Hortons.
To launch the Let’s Up Our Game campaign, Tim Hortons has teamed up with Canadian hockey stars who have broken barriers, blazed new paths and overcome prejudice to play the game they love:
- James Dunn – After being diagnosed in 2012 with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, Dunn thought his dreams of a hockey career were over. Flash forward to 2018, at just 17 years old, Dunn was the youngest player in Hockey Canada history to wear red and white at the Paralympic games.
- Sarah Nurse – A proud player for Team Canada, Nurse is using her voice to fight against racism and sexism and grow representation for BIPOC players in hockey across the country.
- Bridgette Lacquette – As the first Indigenous woman to play for the Canadian Women’s Olympic Hockey Team, and the first to work for a team in the NHL®, Lacquette is changing the game for Indigenous players from coast to coast to coast.
- Tyler McGregor – Cancer survivor and Canadian PARA Ice Hockey team captain, McGregor has not let anything hold him back from the game he loves — and he’s working to do the same for athletes across the country.
- Marie-Philip Poulin – World and Olympic gold medalist, Poulin, captain of the Women’s National Hockey team, is upping the game for the next generation of women in hockey.
- Georges Laraque – After playing in the NHL® for 13 years, Laraque’s goal is to help the next generation of youth from diverse backgrounds achieve their dreams of one day being a professional hockey player.
- Mark DeMontis – Since losing his central sight at 17, DeMontis has been building a more inclusive future for blind and partially sighted hockey players, both on and off the ice.
“Hockey has always been a passion of mine and it is the same for so many Canadians as well. I believe that anyone with the same passion that I have for the game, should have access to equal opportunities in the sport,” says Nurse.
“That’s why I’m so excited to partner with Tim Hortons, a brand synonymous with hockey, to continue growing and evolving the sport to make it a more inclusive space that brings people together – no matter their gender or race.”
Tim Hortons has helped millions of Canadians fulfill their dreams of playing hockey through initiatives such as Timbits Hockey, which began in 1982, our support of Canada’s National PARA Hockey Teams, athletes at the Special Olympics, and the Hockey is Hers program.
“It’s an incredible honour to partner with Tim Hortons on their Let’s Up Our Game platform,” says McGregor. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my story and experiences with a goal of inspiring future generations of all backgrounds and abilities across Canada, both on and off the ice.”
