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Michelle Oryschak’s platform developed naturally while enjoying time with her son at Tim Hortons
Nov 01, 2026 •
Sidney Crosby and Nathan Mac Kinnon surprise guests and help launch Tim Hortons Collector’s Series NHL Trading Cards Photo by (CNW Group/Tim Hortons)
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Parents are always looking for fun ways to connect with their kids. What better method than through a twist on a national pastime?
“Sometimes the best way to connect with your kids is just to step into their world,” Michelle Oryschak told the . “It was something (my son Johnny) naturally had an interest in; his friends were collecting (Tim Hortons hockey cards) and trading.”
Oryschak is behind a new online card-trading platform called Binder Bench that allows free trading of Tim Hortons hockey cards.
Her son began collecting when he was around eight years old, swapping cards with friends, teammates, and classmates.
Binder Bench was created by an Oakville mom to help kids fill out sets of Tim Hortons hockey cards. Photo by Michelle Oryschak
‘Something fun’
“It was something he was really excited about,” Oryschak said.
A Saturday morning trip to Tims for coffee often turned into buying hockey cards because that’s what parents do-they buy things for their kids.
“It also gave us something fun to do together around the dining room table,” Oryschak said.
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The Oakville resident said she got caught up in both excitement or disappointment every time they opened a pack; it felt like a prayer for good luck either granted or denied. Each pack contains two base cards plus one insert card. P >
“I really enjoyed it,” Oryschak shared. “My hand to my heart, it was probably my favorite pastime I had with him growing up.” P >
In their home, this excitement eventually spread further afield. P >
“Even my parents got involved,” she laughed. “My dad would be camping with his friends and he’d come back with cards from Thunder Bay.” P >
Now that years have passed , Oryschak’s son is now a teen who might not be as interested in collecting anymore , but those common cards never seem to go away. They take up space-a gentle reminder of when family life revolved around that hobby. P >
Oryschak thought there must be a better way for people to pass unwanted cards along. P >Binder Bench was created by an Oakville mom to help kids fill out sets of Tim Hortons hockey cards. Photo by Michelle Oryschak
‘A Canadian mom’
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“It’s a Canadian mom solving a very Canadian specific problem,” she said.
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<< p Back in May , Oryschak launched Binder Bench ; its main goal is making it easier for card trading through an online platform.
<< p “The purpose is to remove some of the barriers that make collecting more difficult than it needs to be,” Oryschak explained. “The whole concept was building a platform where families could create their own trusted trading communities.”
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The most sought-after set this year is called “Powerhouse Pillars” series , which has odds at about 1:100 chance of getting one of those cards. Oryschak estimated completing all 234 needed will cost approximately $3 ,250.
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Some rarer ones can even sell for between $100-$200 on platforms like Facebook Marketplace , according to her assessment.<< P “Exorbitant dollars,” she referred humorously about those prices.
Binder Bench charges $14.99 each season without extra fees for trades or gifts since it’s purely meant for trading-no sales or auctions allowed here.
“You don’t necessarily recognize how much you’re investing in this hobby,” she noted. “After some time you’re stuck with heaps of duplicates still missing lots , then buying packs just trying find what you’re after.”
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