Tim Horton

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Lore & Background

Horton was born in Cochrane, Ontario, to Aaron Oakley Horton and Ethel May (née Irish). He was christened Miles Gilbert but came to be known as Tim. He had one brother, Jerry Horton. The family moved to Duparquet, Quebec in 1935, returned to Cochrane in 1938, and moved to Sudbury in 1945. Horton grew up playing hockey in Cochrane and later near Timmins. In 1947, he moved to Toronto to play junior hockey for St. Michael's Majors. He was named best defenceman in the Ontario Hockey Association in 1948–1949. He turned pro in 1949 with the Maple Leafs farm team, the Pittsburgh Hornets, and played his first NHL game on March 26, 1950. He won the 1952 AHL championship and was named an American League All-Star. Horton played his first full season with the Maple Leafs in 1952 and remained a Leaf until 1970, winning four Stanley Cups. In 1952, a bodycheck by Bill Gadsby broke his leg and fractured his jaw, but he returned the next season. Horton was known for his physical style, poise, and durability. He was an effective puck carrier and played right wing in 1964–65. He appeared in seven NHL All-Star Games, was named a first-team All-Star three times (1964, 1968, 1969) and second-team three times (1954, 1963, 1967). Between February 11, 1961, and February 4, 1968, he played 486 consecutive regular season games, a Leafs club record and an NHL record for defencemen until broken in 2007. Horton had a reputation for using a bear hug in fights. He was generally acknowledged as the strongest man in the game. In 1962, he set a league postseason record for defencemen with 16 points. In March 1970, the Maple Leafs traded Horton to the New York Rangers for future considerations. He spent the last 15 games of the 1969–70 season and all of the 1970–71 season with the Rangers. At the start of the 1971–72 season, he was claimed by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the intra-league draft and signed a one-year contract for an estimated $100,000. With a broken ankle and shoulder separation, he played 44 games for the Penguins. In 1972, Buffalo Sabres head coach and general manager Punch Imlach acquired Horton in the intra-league draft. In 1973, Horton helped the Sabres reach their first playoff appearance. He signed a contract extension in the off-season. While playing for the Leafs, Horton wore number 7. The team declared Horton and King Clancy honoured players on November 21, 1995, but did

In Their Own Story

The air was thick with tension as Horton skated onto the ice for his final game against Toronto on February 20, 1973. Despite sitting out the third period and playing with a swollen jaw and ankle injury, he was named one of the three stars of the game. The Sabres lost, but Horton's grit remained undeniable. That night, he drove alone from Toronto back to Buffalo, 160 kilometres south. Before departing, he stopped at his office in Oakville, where business partner Ron Joyce found him. His brother Gerry had already warned him not to drive after recognizing he had been drinking. Joyce offered a place to stay, but Horton chose the road. He passed a curve near St. Catharines when his De Tomaso Pantera hit a recessed sewer in the median. The car flipped and came to rest on its roof. Not wearing a seatbelt, Horton was found 123 feet away. An autopsy later revealed a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit and traces of Dexedrine and Dexamyl in his system.

Reader's Guide

Tim Horton was a legendary NHL defenceman known for his strength, durability, and consecutive games streak. He won four Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs and later played for the Rangers, Penguins, and Sabres. Off the ice, he co-founded the Tim Hortons restaurant chain. His life ended tragically in a car crash involving alcohol and drugs.

Did You Know?

• Horton played 486 consecutive regular season games for the Maple Leafs, a club record and an NHL record for defencemen until 2007.
• He was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history in 2017.
• Horton's first Tim Hortons donut shop opened in Hamilton, Ontario in 1964.
• He died at age 44 in a single-vehicle crash; his autopsy later revealed a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit and traces of drugs.