Even though they’re both still on their entry-level contracts, Vancouver Canucks defencemen Tom Willander and Zeev Buium don’t really need part-time jobs.
Still, Tim Hortons put them to work as part of its annual advertising campaign, letting people know that hockey cards are back at the iconic Canadian restaurant chain.
Hockey Cards are back at Tims! #Canucks Tom Willander and Zeev Buium serve up Hockey Cards and Canadian morning essentials at Tim Hortons. Can they handle the “Thru” line?#Canucks | @TimHortons pic.twitter.com/ccZmLH88wF
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 14, 2026
The last four Canucks who participated in the promotion — Dakota Joshua, Conor Garland, Marcus Pettersson, and Tyler Myers — are all gone, but that’s hopefully not a premonition for Willander and Buium, two young players the Canucks are relying on to be a big part of their future.
The clear highlight of the video is the moment of pure panic on Willander’s face when he is asked to take an order over the headset for the first time.
@Canucks/X
Willander admitted to Izzy Cheung of The Hockey News that working at Tim Hortons, even for a brief period of time, was a lot more challenging than he anticipated.
“It was so hard,” said Willander. “I would have never thought that working a drive-thru would be that difficult. Tell you what, it’s a lot easier to play hockey, at least for me.”
Buium concurred.
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” he said. “You can barely use the mic and then you’ve got to put in all the orders and all the sh*t’s everywhere. It was tough. And then it’s just go, go, go. Line never ends.”
Tom Willander will happily retrieve a puck with a 6'4", 220 lbs forward barreling towards him at 25 mph — just never ask him to take someone's order at a drive-thru ever again. pic.twitter.com/w6dD6ofPoc
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) October 14, 2026
The drive-thru stint likely gave Willander and Buium a greater appreciation for the workers in the food service industry. Even though they seemed to have a good time razzing each other, it’s likely something Willander, at least, never wants to experience again.