Tim Horton

Miles Gilbert "Tim" Horton (January 12, 1930 – February 21, 1974) was a Canadian hockey player and founder of the Tim Hortons doughnut chain.

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Tim Horton was born in Cochrane, Ontario and grew up playing hockey in the small leagues of northern Ontario. He was drafted into the NHL by the Toronto Maple Leafs, with whom he played for seventeen years, winning four Stanley Cups. Horton later played with the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. Known for his considerable strength and coolness under pressure, Horton was a hard working, durable defenceman who was named three times to the NHL's First Team All-Star line-up (1964, 1968, 1969), and three times to the Second Team (1954, 1963, 1967). He also participated in 7 NHL All-Star games.

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In 1964, Horton opened his first coffee and doughnut shop, named after himself, in Hamilton, Ontario. Horton 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.

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Early in the morning of February 21, 1974, while driving the QEW from Toronto to Buffalo in his Pantera sports car, a gift from Sabres' GM George "Punch" Imlach, Horton lost control, crashed, and was instantly killed. He was negotiating a traffic circle on the QEW where it intersected with #20. This traffic circle has since been removed in favor of a proper interchange. Eventually it was confirmed that Horton had been travelling at over one hundred miles per hour, had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol, and had been taking pain killers due to a jaw injury suffered in a hockey game the night before. The entire NHL went into mourning, especially the Buffalo Sabres, a group of young players in which Horton had played a crucial role in maturing into a group of stars that would reach the Stanley Cup finals the following season. Horton left behind a wife, four daughters and a son.

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Horton was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977.

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January 12: January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 353 days remaining (354 in leap years)....

1930: 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday....

February 21: February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 313 days remaining, 314 in leap years....

Tim Horton related Images and Photos (experimental)

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