Tim Hortons is the Canadian doughnut chain named after professional ice hockey player Tim Horton.
The first Tim Hortons restaurant opened in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1964. Tim Horton, a defenseman who played much of his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, opened the business with partners including Jim Charade and Ron Joyce.
The company became one of Canada’s best-known coffee and baked-goods brands. Its menu has expanded substantially, but doughnuts and coffee remain central to its identity.
The chain’s name is often written with an apostrophe in informal references, but the official brand is Tim Hortons. It is not named after a city or a doughnut variety; it honors the hockey player who helped establish the original restaurant.