Given its namesake, hockey has been a core part of the Tim Hortons brand since its founding and the QSR chain is once again returning to those roots with a new social short to celebrate the start of the 2022-23 NHL season, featuring Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews, Morgan Reilly, William Nylander and Michael Bunting.

The video launched on Twitter earlier this month, featuring Nylander and Bunting working a Tim Hortons drive through for the day. The pair were filmed taking orders, surprising customers and awarding them with giveaways including tickets to Maple Leafs games and jerseys for themselves or the kids in their cars. Eventually, fellow Maple Leafs Auston Matthews and Morgan Reilly roll up in disguises and attempt to fool their teammates.

Tim Hortons has long leveraged its partnership with the NHL and players in the league in its advertisements. The QSR chain has sponsored the league for more than 13 years, and has partnerships with all seven Canadian clubs dating back to the 1980s. The concept of putting NHL stars in the drive thru was first used in 2015 when Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon picked up shifts at their hometown Tim Hortons. have featured prominently in its spots. The Toronto Maple Leafs, in particular, have been “amazing collaborators,” according to Solange Bernard, senior director of marketing and communications at Tim Hortons.

As an example, she points to the team’s viral Twitter reviews of the QSR chain’s partnership with another celebrity, Justin Bieber, to create Timbiebs.

“What makes the partnership with the NHL so great is how we’ve been able to work on some fun and creative ideas that are authentic to each of our brands and drive tons of buzz and excitement with hockey fans and Tims guests,” Bernard says. “William, Michael, Auston and Morgan were hilarious during our day of filming together and it’s no surprise that everyone loved the video. We were thrilled to create some once-in-a-lifetime moments for guests who came through the drive-thru that day and it was just another example of a fantastic partnership in action.”

The new video is rolling out with other executions to celebrate the beginning of the NHL’s 2022-23 season, including the in-app Tims NHL Hockey Challenge and the return of its annual cellectible NHL trading cards.