Tim Horton

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Miles Gilbert "Tim" Horton (January 12, 1930, in Cochrane, Ontario, Canada–February 21, 1974 in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada) was a Canadian professional hockey defenseman from Cochrane, Ontario. He played 24 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. He was also a businessman and the co-founder of Tim Hortons, Canada's largest coffee and doughnut store chain before dying in a car accident in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Contents 1 Playing career 2 Doughnut industry 3 Death 4 Awards and achievements 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Playing career

Tim Horton grew up playing in the mining country near Sudbury, Ontario. The Toronto Maple Leaf organization signed him, and in 1947 he moved to Toronto to play junior hockey and attended at St. Michael's College School.

Two years later, he turned pro with the Leafs' farm team, the Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League, and most of his first three seasons were spent with Pittsburgh. He played in his first NHL game on March 26, 1950. He remained a Leaf until 1970, winning four Stanley Cups. Horton later played for the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. Horton was known for his tremendous strength and calmness under pressure, and had relatively few penalty minutes for an enforcer-type defenseman. Horton was a hard-working and durable defenseman who was also an effective puck carrier – in 1964-65 he played right wing for the Leafs. He was named an NHL First Team All-Star three times (1964, 1968, and 1969). He was selected to the NHL Second Team three more times (1954, 1963, 1967). He appeared in seven National Hockey League All-Star Games.

Between February 11, 1961 and February 4, 1968, Horton appeared in 486 consecutive regular-season games; to this day, this remains the Leafs club record for consecutive games and was the NHL record for consecutive games by a defensemen until broken by Karlis Skrastins on February 8, 2007. The irony is that, on March 12, 1955, he suffered a broken leg and jaw after being checked by Bill Gadsby of the New York Rangers. The injuries were so severe that he missed much of the following season, and there was some doubt as to whether he would return.

Gadsby's hit wasn't Horton's only major injury. He had a reputation for enveloping players who were fighting him in a crushing bear hug. Boston Bruins winger Derek Sanderson once bit Horton during a fight; years later, Horton's widow, Lori, still wondered why. "Well," Sanderson replied, "I felt one rib go, and I felt another rib go, so I just had — to, well, get out of there!"^{[citation needed]}

Injuries and age were little more than minor inconveniences to Horton, who was generally acknowledged as the strongest man in the game while he was playing. Declared Chicago Blackhawks winger Bobby Hull, perhaps the only NHL player more muscular than Horton, "There were defensemen you had to fear because they were vicious and would slam you into the boards from behind, for one, Eddie Shore. But you respected Tim Horton because he didn't need that type of intimidation. He used his tremendous strength and talent to keep you in check."^{[citation needed]}

In 1962, he scored 3 goals and 13 assists in 12 playoff games, setting a Leafs team record for playoff points by a defenseman that was tied in 1978 by Ian Turnbull and was not broken until 1994, when Dave Ellett registered 18 points.

Horton wore the number 7 while playing for the Leafs, the same number worn by King Clancy from 1931-32 to 1936-37. The team declared both Horton and Clancy honoured players at a ceremony on 21 November 1995, but did not retire the number 7 from team use; instead, it became an Honoured Jersey Number,^[1] abiding by Leafs honors policy.^[2]

Ironically, Clancy once lamented, "If he'd only get angry, no one would top him in this league."^{[citation needed]} But Horton believed that he had taken too many penalties early in his career because of his "hot temper".

[edit] Doughnut industry

Main article: Tim Hortons

In 1964, Horton opened his first Tim Horton's Donut Shop in Hamilton, Ontario.^[3] He even added a few of his culinary creations to the initial menu. By 1965, Horton had partnered with investor Ron Joyce, who quickly took over operations and expanded the chain into a multi-million dollar franchise system.

In addition to his shops in Canada, Buffalo, New York has over 80 Tim Horton's Doughnut Shops, and they can be found in Detroit, Michigan, Columbus, Ohio and other American cities.

[edit] Death

Early on the morning of 21 February 1974, while driving on the Queen Elizabeth Way from Toronto to Buffalo in his white De Tomaso Pantera sports car, (a gift from Sabres' GM George "Punch" Imlach), Horton was involved in what is now an infamous accident. He was negotiating a curve on the QEW where it crosses over Twelve Mile Creek in St. Catharines, Ontario when he lost control and hit a cement culvert. The impact flipped the vehicle and Horton was thrown. He was not wearing a seat belt. Horton was reported dead on arrival at the local hospital. A police officer pursuing Horton's vehicle said that he had been travelling at over 160 km/h (100 mph).

There were reports Horton had consumed a considerable amount of vodka, and was rumoured to have been taking pain killers due to a jaw injury suffered in practice the day before. An autopsy report released in 2005 showed Horton had a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit. The blood test also showed signs of amobarbital, which was possibly a residue from the Dexamyl pills that were found on Horton's body. Dexamyl was a prescription drug that mixed an amphetamine with a depressant. The autopsy showed no indication Horton was taking painkillers as previously thought.

[edit] Awards and achievements

• 1961-62 – Stanley Cup Champion
• 1962-63 – Stanley Cup Champion
• 1963-64 – Stanley Cup Champion
• 1966-67 – Stanley Cup Champion
• 1977 – Inducted (posthumously) into the Hockey Hall of Fame
• 1996 – Number 2 retired by Buffalo Sabres
• 1998 – Ranked number 43 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

[edit] References

1. ^ Alumni Bio - Tim Horton. Toronto Maple Leafs. Retrieved on January 13, 2007.
2. ^ John Iaboni. "Honoured Players Process Different For Leafs" in Leafs Game Day, Issue No. 3, 2005-06. Toronto Maple Leafs. Retrieved on January 13, 2007.
3. ^ Cole, Stephen (2006). The Canadian Hockey Atlas. Doubleday Canada. ISBN 978-0-385-66093-8 (0-385-66093-6). 

[edit] External links

• The Canadian Encyclopedia: Tim Horton
• Biography at Tim Hortons corporate site
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Tim Horton bio
• Tim Horton's Gravesite