Cale Makar Knows You Don’t Win Alone. Neither Does Your Business.

Cale Makar can read a play before it happens. Where does that come from? Not a gift, he says. Years of practice. “I don’t think anybody has the instincts right away.”

The Colorado Avalanche defenceman sees the same pattern in the entrepreneurs and small business owners he has met through Intuit QuickBooks’ partnership with the NHL. “It’s tough to start a small business nowadays, and I credit all those people,” he says. Building one, he adds, “just doesn’t start on day one. You kind of keep building over time, and as you grow, you just evolve and find new ways to be more successful.”

Nobody builds alone

No hockey team wins with one player. The same goes for a business, which is the idea behind Intuit QuickBooks’ latest NHL campaign. It puts Makar beside a small business owner at a mock post-game press conference, where the owner credits his team. 

Intuit Intelligence, powering QuickBooks is more brains for your business, a teammate that works alongside you. It isn’t just AI. It combines intelligence with trusted proprietary data and deep financial expertise to help owners and their accountants understand performance, automate work, and take action, while the owner stays in control. Early adopters have already reported saving an average of 13 hours a month*, time owners can put toward what matters most to them. It’s part of a wider shift. In the 2026 Intuit QuickBooks AI Impact Report, 73% of Canadian businesses surveyed said AI had improved their productivity, up from 49% in July 2024. Time is the real win.What would you do with 13 extra hours a month? For Makar, a new dad of twins, he has a lot to look forward to (and plan for). “It’s a lot that we’re going to have to adapt to, but... we’re excited,” he says. “It’s a new chapter of life; it’s another page in the book.” Our guess is that some of those hours would go to the one meal he says he likes going out for: breakfast, with family and friends.

The breakfast plan

Makar’s own business idea is not subtle. “I feel like the one thing that always comes to my mind is a breakfast place,” he says. He would go for a mix of an old-school diner and a modern coffee shop, “some hybrid where you can chill, but have a good bite.” His own order is simple: the farmer’s breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and some type of meat. 

Back in his hometown Calgary, he is a regular at Bro’kin Yolk, a breakfast spot he has gone to ever since they opened. “You get good quality food and it’s great to go with family and friends,” he says. 

Places like that last for a reason. “Local people want to support those types of businesses,” Makar says.

Consider this your sign

Nothing starts on day one, not an NHL career and not a diner-cafe hybrid with a farmer’s breakfast on the menu. 62% of Peak readers plan to start a business in the coming year, so consider this your sign.

This Small Business Month and every month, Intuit QuickBooks, the Official Accounting Software of the NHL, is in your corner, whether you’re running a business or just getting started on the idea.