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{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player and businessman (1930–1974)}}
{{about|the ice hockey player|the eponymous restaurant chain that he co-founded|Tim Hortons}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox ice hockey biography
| name = Tim Horton
| halloffame = 1977
| image = TimHorton 03.jpg
| image_size = 230px
| caption = Horton with the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] in 1965
| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1930|1|12}}
| birth_place = [[Cochrane, Ontario]], Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1974|2|21|1930|1|12}}
| death_place = [[St. Catharines]], Ontario, Canada
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 10
| weight_lb = 180
| position = [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|Defence]]
| shoots = Right
| played_for = [[Toronto Maple Leafs]]<br>[[New York Rangers]]<br>[[Pittsburgh Penguins]]<br>[[Buffalo Sabres]]
| career_start = 1949
| career_end = 1974
| website =
}}
'''Miles Gilbert''' "'''Tim'''" '''Horton''' (January 12, 1930 – February 21, 1974)<ref name=hdshhw>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UXowAAAAIBAJ&pg=1014%2C1700712 |newspaper=The Gazette|location=Montreal |agency=The Canadian Press |title=Horton's death shocks hockey world; |date=February 22, 1974 |page=30}}</ref><ref name=hwmdoth>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ws9dAAAAIBAJ&pg=970%2C3995900
|newspaper=Observer-Reporter  |location=Washington, Pennsylvania |agency=Associated Press |title=Hockey World Mourning Death of Tim Horton |date=February 22, 1974 |page=B2 }}</ref><ref name=exmhsd>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zctRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6279%2C2828525 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |title=Horton killed in crash; ex-mates here saddened |date=February 22, 1974 |page=11}}</ref> was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 24 seasons in the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL). He spent the majority of his career playing for the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]], later playing with the [[New York Rangers]], [[Pittsburgh Penguins]], and [[Buffalo Sabres]]. Horton was a 4-time [[Stanley Cup]] Champion in [[1962 Stanley Cup Finals|1962]], [[1963 Stanley Cup Finals|1963]], [[1964 Stanley Cup Finals|1964]], and [[1967 Stanley Cup Finals|1967]] with the Maple Leafs. In 2017, Horton was named one of the [[100 Greatest NHL Players]] in history.<ref name="100 Greatest NHL Players">{{cite web|title=100 Greatest NHL Players|url=https://www.nhl.com/fans/nhl-centennial/100-greatest-nhl-players|publisher=National Hockey League|access-date=January 1, 2017|date=January 1, 2017}}</ref> He died at age 44 following a single-vehicle crash in which drugs and alcohol were involved.

A successful businessman, Horton co-founded the [[Tim Hortons]] restaurant chain.

==Early life==
Horton was born in [[Cochrane, Ontario]], at [[Lady Minto Hospital]], to Aaron Oakley Horton, a [[Canadian National Railway]] mechanic, and Ethel May (née Irish). His father christened him Miles Gilbert after his two grandfathers, but he came to be known exclusively as Tim, the name his mother had wanted to give him.<ref name="Griggs"/> He had one brother, Jerry Horton.<ref name="Hunter2012">{{cite book|last=Hunter|first=Douglas|title=Double Double: How Tim Hortons Became a Canadian Way of Life, One Cup at a Time |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=35NE2xRQmt8C&pg=PT118|access-date=June 14, 2013|date=October 9, 2012|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-1-4434-0675-8|page=118}}</ref>

The family moved in 1935 to [[Duparquet]], [[Quebec]], returning to Ontario in 1938 to Cochrane; the family moved to [[Greater Sudbury|Sudbury]] in 1945.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/learning-adapting-key-to-tim-hortons-success-242925|title=Learning, adapting key to Tim Hortons' success|work=Sudbury.com|access-date=2018-01-23|language=en}}</ref>

==Playing career==
===Early career===
Horton grew up playing [[ice hockey]] in Cochrane, and later in a mining community near [[Timmins, Ontario|Timmins]]. The [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] organization signed him in 1948;  he moved to [[Toronto]] to play [[Junior ice hockey|junior hockey]] and attended [[St. Michael's College School]].{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

===Toronto Maple Leafs===
{{unreferenced section|date=March 2020}}
[[File:Tim Horton Chex hockey card.JPG|thumb|upright|Image of Tim Horton from a [[Chex]] collectible card, c. 1960s]]
Two years later, he turned pro with the Maple Leafs farm team, the [[Pittsburgh Hornets]] of the [[American Hockey League]]. He spent most of the first three seasons with Pittsburgh, playing in his first [[National Hockey League|NHL]] game on March 26, 1950. Horton appeared in the NHL again in the fall of [[1952–53 NHL season|1952]]. He remained a Leaf until [[1969–70 NHL season|1970]], winning four [[Stanley Cup]]s. Horton later played for the [[New York Rangers]], [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] and [[Buffalo Sabres]]. 

Horton was known for his physical strength and poise under pressure. As a hard-working and durable defenceman, he gained relatively few penalty minutes for an [[Enforcer (ice hockey)|enforcer-type]] defenceman. He was also an effective puck carrier – in [[1964–65 NHL season|1964–65]] he played [[winger (ice hockey)|right wing]] for the Leafs. Horton appeared in seven [[National Hockey League All-Star Game]]s.  He was named an [[NHL All-Star team|NHL first team All-Star]] three times: ([[1963–64 NHL season|1964]], [[1967–68 NHL season|1968]], and [[1968–69 NHL season|1969]]). He was selected to the NHL Second Team three times: ([[1953–54 NHL season|1954]], [[1962–63 NHL season|1963]], [[1966–67 NHL season|1967]]).

Between February 11, 1961, and February 4, 1968, Horton appeared in 486 consecutive regular season games; this remains the Leafs club record for consecutive games and was the [[National Hockey League|NHL]] record for consecutive games by a defenceman until broken by [[Kārlis Skrastiņš]] on February 8, 2007.

Horton had a reputation for enveloping players fighting him in a crushing bear hug.

While playing, Horton was generally acknowledged as the strongest man in the game; injuries and age were little more than minor inconveniences. [[Chicago Black Hawks]] left wing [[Bobby Hull]] declared, "There were defencemen 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."

In [[1961–62 NHL season|1962]], Horton established a league postseason record for his position with 16 points (three goals, 13 assists), which [[Boston Bruins]] star [[Bobby Orr]] broke eight years later. The team record was tied in [[1977–78 NHL season|1978]] by [[Ian Turnbull (ice hockey)|Ian Turnbull]] (who played 13 games). It broken in the [[1993–94 NHL season|1994]], when [[David Ellett]] registered 18 points in 18 games.

===Post-Toronto years===

In March [[1969–70 New York Rangers season|1970]], the Maple Leafs traded Horton to the [[1969–70 New York Rangers season|New York Rangers]] for future considerations; he spent the last fifteen games of the season in New York and all of [[1970–71 New York Rangers season|the following]] as well.  At the beginning of the [[1971–72 NHL season|1971–72]] season, he was claimed by the [[1971–72 Pittsburgh Penguins season|Pittsburgh Penguins]] in the [[1971 NHL Intra-League Draft|intra-league draft]] and, at age 41, signed a one-year contract for an estimated $100,000, the largest contract at the time for the five-year-old franchise.<ref name=pshtoyp>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HmVfAAAAIBAJ&pg=3326%2C603661 |newspaper=Observer-Reporter |location=Washington, Pennsylvania |agency=Associated Press |title=Penguins sign Tim Horton to one year pact |date=September 3, 1971 |page=B5 }}</ref> With a broken ankle and a shoulder separation,<ref name=dmdthf>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3nwqAAAAIBAJ&pg=5386%2C2589833 |work=Pittsburgh Press |title=Dough may decide Tim Horton's future |date=June 6, 1972 |page=33}}</ref> Horton only played 44 games for the Penguins and managed just 11 points.

In spite of Horton's age, 42, and considerable nearsightedness, [[Punch Imlach]] of the [[1972–73 Buffalo Sabres season|Buffalo Sabres]], who was also the former Leafs' general manager, acquired Horton in the [[1972 NHL Intra-League Draft|intra-league draft]] and signed him in [[1972–73 Buffalo Sabres season|1972]].<ref name=sdhfpog>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DUsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=7194%2C719863 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |title=Sabres draft Horton from Pens on gamble |date=June 6, 1972 |page=19}}</ref><ref name=rtthend>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UXowAAAAIBAJ&pg=2779%2C1693211 |newspaper=The Gazette|location=Montreal |last=Blackman |first=Ted |title=Right to the end, Tim Horton showed how to play the game |date=February 22, 1974 |page=29 }}</ref> In 1973, his performance assisted the Sabres in their first playoff appearance. Horton later signed a contract extension in the off-season.<ref>Bailey, Budd (June 4, 2010). [http://blogs.buffalonews.com/sports_ink/2010/06/this-day-in-buffalo-sports-history-a-toast.html This day in Buffalo sports history: a toast] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708103956/http://blogs.buffalonews.com/sports_ink/2010/06/this-day-in-buffalo-sports-history-a-toast.html |date=July 8, 2011 }}. ''The Buffalo News''. Retrieved 2010-06-04.</ref>

While playing for the Leafs, Horton wore the number 7, the same number worn by [[King Clancy]] from [[1930–31 NHL season|1930]] to [[1936–37 NHL season|1937]]. The team declared both Horton and Clancy honoured players at a ceremony on November 21, 1995, but did not [[List of NHL retired numbers|retire]] the number 7 from team use; despite this, it became an honoured jersey number,<ref>{{cite web|author=CBC Sports |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/doug-gilmour-honoured-by-maple-leafs-1.824802 |title=Doug Gilmour honoured by Maple Leafs |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=January 31, 2009 |access-date=June 14, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=42255 |title=Toronto Mapleleafs - Alumni - Toronto Maple Leafs - Team |publisher=National Hockey League |access-date=June 14, 2013}}</ref> abiding by Leafs honours policy.<ref>{{cite web |last= Iaboni |first=John |publisher=[[Toronto Maple Leafs]] |title= 'Honoured Players Process Different For Leafs' in ''Leafs Game Day, Issue No. 3, 2005-06'' |url= http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=12744|access-date=April 6, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070813035236/http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=12744|archive-date = August 13, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 2016, the Leafs changed their retirement policy and, on October 15, retired the number 7 in honour of both Horton and Clancy.<ref>{{cite web |last=Johnston |first=Chris |publisher=[[Sportsnet]] |title='Maple Leafs retire all honoured numbers and Dave Keon's No. 14' |url= http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/maple-leafs-retire-honoured-numbers-dave-keons-no-14/ |access-date= October 15, 2016}}</ref>

Horton wore number 2 in Buffalo (as [[Rick Martin]] already had the number 7). Both numbers have since been retired.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Commito|first1=Mike|last2=Snyder|first2=Lorraine|date=2008-01-23|title=Tim Horton {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tim-horton|access-date=2022-01-26|website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
===Regular season and playoffs===
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! colspan="5"|[[Regular season]]
! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! colspan="5"|[[Playoffs]]
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! [[Season (sports)|Season]]
! Team
! League
! GP !! [[Goal (ice hockey)|G]] !! [[Assist (ice hockey)|A]] !! [[Point (ice hockey)|Pts]] !! [[Penalty (ice hockey)|PIM]]
! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM
|-
| 1946–47
| Copper Cliff Jr. Redmen
| [[Northern Ontario Hockey Association|NOHA]]
| 9 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 14
| 5 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1947–48 OHA season|1947–48]]
| [[Toronto St. Michael's Majors|St. Michael's Majors]]
| [[Ontario Hockey Association|OHA]]
| 32 || 6 || 7 || 13 || 137
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| [[1948–49 OHA season|1948–49]]
| St. Michael's Majors
| OHA
| 32 || 9 || 18 || 27 || 95
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1949–50 NHL season|1949–50]]
| [[Toronto Maple Leafs]]
| [[National Hockey League|NHL]]
| 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2
| 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2
|-
| [[1949–50 AHL season|1949–50]]
| [[Pittsburgh Hornets]]
| [[American Hockey League|AHL]]
| 60 || 5 || 18 || 23 || 83
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1950–51 AHL season|1950–51]]
| Pittsburgh Hornets
| AHL
| 68 || 8 || 26 || 34 || 129
| 13 || 0 || 9 || 9 || 16
|-
| [[1951–52 NHL season|1951–52]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 8
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1951–52 AHL season|1951–52]]
| Pittsburgh Hornets
| AHL
| 64 || 12 || 19 || 31 || 146
| 11 || 1 || 3 || 4 || 16
|-
| [[1952–53 NHL season|1952–53]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 70 || 2 || 14 || 16 || 85
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1953–54 NHL season|1953–54]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 70 || 7 || 24 || 31 || 94
| 5 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4
|-
| [[1954–55 NHL season|1954–55]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 67 || 5 || 9 || 14 || 84
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1955–56 NHL season|1955–56]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 35 || 0 || 5 || 5 || 36
| 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 4
|-
| [[1956–57 NHL season|1956–57]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 66 || 6 || 19 || 25 || 72
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1957–58 NHL season|1957–58]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 53 || 6 || 20 || 26 || 39
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| [[1958–59 NHL season|1958–59]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 70 || 5 || 21 || 26 || 76
| 12 || 0 || 3 || 3 || 16
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1959–60 NHL season|1959–60]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 70 || 3 || 29 || 32 || 69
| 10 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 6
|-
| [[1960–61 NHL season|1960–61]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 57 || 6 || 15 || 21 || 75
| 5 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1961–62 NHL season|1961–62]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 70 || 10 || 28 || 38 || 88
| 12 || 3 || 13 || 16 || 16
|-
| [[1962–63 NHL season|1962–63]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 70 || 6 || 19 || 25 || 69
| 10 || 1 || 3 || 4 || 10
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1963–64 NHL season|1963–64]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 70 || 9 || 20 || 29 || 71
| 14 || 0 || 4 || 4 || 20
|-
| [[1964–65 NHL season|1964–65]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 70 || 12 || 16 || 28 || 95
| 6 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 13
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1965–66 NHL season|1965–66]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 70 || 6 || 22 || 28 || 76
| 4 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 12
|-
| [[1966–67 NHL season|1966–67]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 70 || 8 || 17 || 25 || 70
| 12 || 3 || 5 || 8 || 25
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1967–68 NHL season|1967–68]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 69 || 4 || 23 || 27 || 82
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| [[1968–69 NHL season|1968–69]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 74 || 11 || 29 || 40 || 107
| 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 7
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1969–70 NHL season|1969–70]]
| Toronto Maple Leafs
| NHL
| 59 || 3 || 19 || 22 || 91
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| 1969–70
| [[New York Rangers]]
| NHL
| 15 || 1 || 5 || 6 || 16
| 6 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 28
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1970–71 NHL season|1970–71]]
| New York Rangers
| NHL
| 78 || 2 || 18 || 20 || 57
| 13 || 1 || 4 || 5 || 14
|-
| [[1971–72 NHL season|1971–72]]
| [[Pittsburgh Penguins]]
| NHL
| 44 || 2 || 9 || 11 || 40
| 4 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1972–73 NHL season|1972–73]]
| [[Buffalo Sabres]]
| NHL
| 69 || 1 || 16 || 17 || 56
| 6 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 4
|-
| [[1973–74 NHL season|1973–74]]
| Buffalo Sabres
| NHL
| 55 || 0 || 6 || 6 || 53
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals
! 1,446 !! 115 !! 403 !! 518 !! 1,611
! 126 !! 11 !! 39 !! 50 !! 183
|}

==Donut industries==
{{main|Tim Hortons}}
[[File:Statue Of Tim Horton.jpg|thumb|upright|Statue of Horton outside the original Tim Hortons store in Hamilton]]

In 1964, Horton opened his first Tim Horton Donut Shop in [[Hamilton, Ontario]] on Ottawa Street.<ref name=CHATLAS>{{cite book|title=The Canadian Hockey Atlas|url=https://archive.org/details/canadianhockeyat0000cole|url-access=registration|first=Stephen|last=Cole|publisher=Doubleday Canada|year=2006|isbn=978-0-385-66093-8 }}</ref> He added a few of his culinary creations to the initial menu. By 1968, Tim Horton had become a multi-million dollar franchise system.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/291507/annual-revenue-tim-hortons/#:~:text=Canadian%20quick%20service%20restaurant%20(QSR,year%27s%20total%20of%203.34%20billion | title=Tim Hortons revenue 2022 }}</ref> Horton's previous business ventures included both a hamburger restaurant and [[Studebaker]] auto dealership in Toronto.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

Upon Horton's death in 1974, his business partner [[Ron Joyce]] bought out the Horton family's shares for $1&nbsp;million and took over as sole owner of the existing chain, which had 40 stores at the time,<ref name=JOYCEBIO>{{cite web|title=Ron Joyce Co-Founder, Tim Hortons/Chairman Emeritus|url=http://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/about/bio_ronjoyce.php|website=Tim Hortons|access-date=May 28, 2015}}</ref> and later expanded to nearly 4,600 stores in Canada alone by 2013. Today, Tim Hortons is a flagship of [[Restaurant Brands International]], a conglomerate that includes [[Burger King]], [[Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen]] and [[Firehouse Subs]].

Joyce's son, Ron Joyce Jr., is married to Horton's eldest daughter, Jeri-Lynn Horton-Joyce; until 2023, the couple owned a Tim Hortons franchise in [[Cobourg, Ontario]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Saltzman |first1=Aaron |title=Multiple Tim Hortons franchises, other businesses cut pay, benefits, citing minimum wage hike |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tim-hortons-heirs-minimum-wage-wynne-ontario-1.4472878 |access-date=27 August 2019 |publisher=CBC News |date=January 5, 2018}}</ref><ref name="G&M-2023-06-01">{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-tim-horton-daughter-retires-franchisee-rbi/ |title=Tim Horton's daughter retires as franchisee, urges others to 'keep demanding better' amid clash with parent company |newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date=June 1, 2023 }}</ref>

==Death and aftermath==
Horton died after losing control of his [[De Tomaso Pantera]] sports car on the [[Queen Elizabeth Way]] in [[St. Catharines]], Ontario, in the early morning of February 21, 1974.<ref name=hdshhw/><ref name="autopsy">{{cite web|title=Tim Horton Autopsy Police Report and Other Docs|publisher=Glen McGregor|date=February 20, 2011|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/49172862/Tim-Horton-Autopsy-Police-Report-and-Other-Docs}}</ref> He had played a game in Toronto the previous evening against his former team, the Maple Leafs, and was driving alone back to [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], {{convert|160|km|mi|abbr=on}} south. The Sabres had lost the game, and despite sitting out the third period and playing with a jaw and ankle injury, Horton was selected one of the game's [[Three stars (ice hockey)|three stars]].<ref name=hwmdoth/><ref>{{cite web | last = Shea | first = Kevin | title = One on One With Tim Horton | publisher = Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum | date = December 13, 2002 | url = http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/spot_oneononep197702.shtml | access-date = January 19, 2014 | archive-date = February 1, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140201234051/http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/spot_oneononep197702.shtml | url-status = dead }}</ref>

Horton's Pantera had been given to him by Sabres' general manager Imlach as an enticement to return to the team for one more season.<ref name="Iorfida">{{cite web | last = Iorfida | first = Chris | title = Remembering Tim Horton | publisher = Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | date = February 21, 2013 | url = http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/remembering-tim-horton-1.1333425}}</ref>

On his drive to Buffalo, Horton stopped at his office in [[Oakville, Ontario|Oakville]], and was met there by Ron Joyce.<ref name="Iorfida"/><ref name="Griggs">{{cite book | last1 = Griggs | first1 = Tim | last2 = Horton | first2 = Lori | title = In Loving Memory: A Tribute to Tim Horton | publisher = ECW Press | year = 1997 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ZLZbMvs5qjUC&pg=PP1| isbn = 9781550223194 }}</ref> While there, Horton phoned his brother Gerry, who recognized that Tim had been drinking and tried to persuade him not to continue driving. Joyce also offered to have Horton stay with him. Horton chose to continue his drive to Buffalo.<ref name="Griggs"/>

After 4:00&nbsp;a.m. EST (9:00 UTC), a woman reported to the [[Ontario Provincial Police]] in [[Burlington, Ontario|Burlington]] that she had observed a car travelling at high speed on the Queen Elizabeth Way. A warning was broadcast over police radio. Thirty minutes later, Officer Mike Gula observed a speeding vehicle travelling Niagara-bound on the Queen Elizabeth Way in [[Vineland, Ontario|Vineland]]. Gula activated his siren and attempted to pursue Horton's vehicle, but lost sight of it.<ref name="Griggs"/><ref name="Popplewell">{{cite web | last = Popplewell | first = Brett | title = Greatest Maple Leafs: No. 7 Tim Horton | publisher = Sportsnet | date = December 25, 2013 | url = http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/24-7/greatest-maple-leafs-no-7-tim-horton/}}</ref>

Horton passed a curve in the road at Ontario Street and was approaching the Lake Street exit in St. Catharines when he lost control and drove into the centre grass median, where his tire caught a recessed sewer which caused the car to flip several times before it came to a stop on its roof in the Toronto-bound lanes. Not wearing a seatbelt, Horton was found {{convert|123|ft|m|abbr=on}} from the car.<ref name=hdshhw/> He was pronounced dead at [[St. Catharines General Hospital]].<ref name="autopsy"/><ref name="Popplewell"/>
[[File:Graves of Tim Horton and Lori Horton in York Cemetery in Toronto.jpg|thumb|Graves of Tim and Lori Horton in [[York Cemetery, Toronto|York Cemetery]], Toronto]]
Subsequent to Horton's death, there was no official public inquiry, and his autopsy was not made public. Police would not state whether Horton was intoxicated.<ref name="McGregor">{{cite web | last = McGregor | first = Glen | title = Marking Tim Horton's death, 40 years after | work = Ottawa Citizen | date = February 21, 2014 | url = https://ottawacitizen.com/news/marking-tim-hortons-death-40-years-after}}</ref> In 2005, Horton's autopsy was made public (with witness statements redacted), and revealed that Horton's [[Blood alcohol content|blood alcohol level]] was twice the legal limit, and that a half-filled vodka bottle was amongst the crash debris. Horton was also in possession of the drugs [[Dextroamphetamine|Dexedrine]], a stimulant, and [[Dexamyl]], a stimulant-sedative; traces of [[amobarbital]], an ingredient in Dexamyl, were found in his blood. The autopsy report found no painkillers in Horton's body, and also concluded that his car had been in good working order. There was nothing to suggest Horton was evading police, or that police were near enough to initiate a criminal pursuit.<ref name="autopsy"/><ref name="McGregor"/> Horton was interred at [[York Cemetery, Toronto|York Cemetery]], Toronto.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=eU-iNvwywHQC&dq=tim+horton+york+cemetery&pg=PA251 ''Whatever Happened To -?'']</ref>

Following Horton's death, Ron Joyce offered Horton's widow Lori $1&nbsp;million for her shares in the chain, which included 40 stores. She accepted his offer and Joyce became sole owner. Years later, Lori became dissatisfied with Joyce's offer, and filed a lawsuit against him. In 1993, Lori lost the lawsuit; an appeal was declined in 1995. She died in 2000 at age 68.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/horton-widow-dead-at-68-1.228926|title=Horton widow dead at 68|author=CBC Sports|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=December 26, 2000|access-date=June 30, 2014}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Married in 1952, Horton was survived by his wife, the former Lori Michalek of [[Pittsburgh]], and four daughters.<ref name="hwmdoth" /><ref name="exmhsd" /><ref name="hkiacupi">{{cite news |date=February 21, 1974 |title=Horton killed in auto crash |page=28 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |agency=United Press International |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=blkqAAAAIBAJ&pg=4209%2C2330859}}</ref> Horton was a [[Freemasonry|Freemason]], belonging to Kroy Lodge No. 676 in [[Thornhill, Ontario]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=MacKeen |first=Jason |date=2022-03-14 |title=Famous Freemason - Miles Gilbert "Tim" Horton |url=https://www.fellowshiplodge5797.com/post/famous-freemason-miles-gilbert-tim-horton |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=Fellowship Lodge |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Brother Tim Horton - A life of success and tragedy… |url=http://www.midnightfreemasons.org/2022/08/brother-tim-horton-life-of-success-and.html |access-date=2023-01-18 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tim Horton |url=https://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/horton_t/horton_t.html |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=freemasonry.bcy.ca}}</ref>

==Awards and achievements==
* Named to [[NHL first All-Star team]] in [[1963–64 NHL season|1964]], [[1967–68 NHL season|1968]], and [[1968–69 NHL season|1969]]
* Named to [[NHL second All-Star team]] in [[1953–54 NHL season|1954]], [[1962–63 NHL season|1963]], and [[1966–67 NHL season|1967]]
* 4x [[Stanley Cup]] champion – [[1962 Stanley Cup Finals|1962]], [[1963 Stanley Cup Finals|1963]], [[1964 Stanley Cup Finals|1964]], [[1967 Stanley Cup Finals|1967]] (all with [[Toronto Maple Leafs]])
* 1977 – inducted (posthumously) into the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]]
* 1982 – inducted (posthumously) into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sabresalumni.com/history/halloffame.php|title=Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618013818/http://www.sabresalumni.com/history/halloffame.php|archive-date=June 18, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* 1996 – number 2 jersey retired by the [[Buffalo Sabres#Retired numbers|Buffalo Sabres]]
* 1998 – ranked number 43 on ''[[The Hockey News]]'' [[list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players]]
* 2002 - awarded the [[Order of Sport]] and inducted into [[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Canada Sports Hall of Fame {{!}} Hall of Famers Search |url=http://www.sportshall.ca/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famers-search.html?proID=104&catID=all&lang=EN |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=www.sportshall.ca}}</ref>
* 2004 – ranked number 59 in [[The Greatest Canadian]] list by the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]
* 2015 – recipient of the [[Bruce Prentice Legacy Award]] by the [[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oshof.ca/index.php/bruce-prentice-legacy-award/2015-legacy-horton |title=2015 Bruce Prentice Legacy Award - Tim Horton |website=oshof.ca |publisher=[[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]] |access-date=April 7, 2016 |archive-date=April 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418171545/http://oshof.ca/index.php/bruce-prentice-legacy-award/2015-legacy-horton |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 2016 – number 7 jersey retired by the [[Toronto Maple Leafs#Retired numbers|Toronto Maple Leafs]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Toronto Maple Leafs retire the numbers of 17 players|url=https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/news/toronto-maple-leafs-retire-the-numbers-of-17-players/c-282696202|publisher=National Hockey League|access-date=October 16, 2016|date=October 15, 2016}}</ref>
* In January 2017, Horton was part of the first group of players to be named one of the "[[100 Greatest NHL Players|100 Greatest NHL Players in history]]" by the league.<ref name="100 Greatest NHL Players"/>

==See also==
* [[List of ice hockey players who died during their playing career]]
* [[List of NHL players with 1,000 games played]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{icehockeystats|legendsm=P197702}}
* [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tim-horton The Canadian Encyclopedia: Tim Horton] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918064317/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/tim-horton/ |date=September 18, 2017 }}
* [http://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/about/bio_timhorton.php Biography at Tim Hortons corporate site]

{{Tim Hortons|state=autocollapse}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Tim}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:1974 deaths]]
[[Category:Buffalo Sabres players]]
[[Category:Businesspeople in the coffee industry]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States]]
[[Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen]]
[[Category:Fast-food chain founders]]
[[Category:Hockey Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Ice hockey people from Ontario]]
[[Category:National Hockey League players with retired numbers]]
[[Category:New York Rangers players]]
[[Category:People from Cochrane, Ontario]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Hornets players]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players]]
[[Category:Stanley Cup champions]]
[[Category:Tim Hortons]]
[[Category:Toronto Maple Leafs players]]
[[Category:Toronto St. Michael's Majors players]]
[[Category:Road incident deaths in Canada]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Ontario]]
[[Category:Alcohol-related deaths in Canada]]
[[Category:Drug-related deaths in Canada]]
[[Category:Burials at York Cemetery, Toronto]]
[[Category:Canadian Freemasons]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]