Tim Horton Miles Gilbert " Tim " Horton ( January 12 , 1930 – February 21 , 1974 ) was a Canadian professional Defenceman from Cochrane , Ontario . He played 22 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 , now Canada ' s largest restaurant chain . He died in an automobile crash at St . Catharines , Ontario in 1974 at the age of 44 . Early Years . Miles Gilbert Horton was born in Cochrane , Ontario . His father was English and his mother Irish . The Hortons moved to Duparquet , Quebec in 1935 , but returned to Cochrane , Ontario , in 1938 . In 1945 , Horton moved to Sudbury , Ontario . Playing career . Tim Horton grew up playing in Cochrane , Ontario , and later in the mining country near Sudbury , Ontario . The Toronto Maple Leaf organization signed him , and in 1948 he moved to Toronto to play junior hockey in St . Michael ' s Majors . 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 started to play regularly for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fall of 1952 . He remained a Leaf until 1970 , winning four Stanley Cup s . 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 defenceman . Horton was a hard - working and durable defenceman 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 Game s . 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 NHL record for consecutive games by a defencemen until broken by Kārlis Skrastiņš on February 8 , 2007 . On March 12 , 1955 , he had 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 had been some doubt as to whether he would ever be able to return to the game . Horton 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 ! " 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 . " In 1962 , he scored 3 goals and 13 assists in 12 playoff games , setting a Leafs team record for playoff points by a defenceman that was tied in 1978 by Ian Turnbull and was not broken until 1994 , when David 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 November 21 , 1995 , but did not retire the number 7 from team use ; instead , it became an Honoured Jersey Number , Clancy once lamented , " If he ' d only get angry , no one would top him in this league . " But Horton believed that he had taken too many penalties early in his career because of his " hot temper " . Doughnut industries . In 1964 , Horton opened his first Tim Horton Doughnut Shop in Hamilton , Ontario . He even added a few of his culinary creations to the initial menu . By 1967 , Horton had partnered with investor Ron Joyce , who quickly took over operations and expanded the chain into a multi - million dollar franchise system . Horton ' s previous business ventures included both a hamburger restaurant and Studebaker auto dealership in Toronto . In addition to over 2700 locations in Canada , Buffalo , New York has over 80 Tim Hortons Doughnut Shops , and they can be found in Detroit , Michigan ; Columbus , Ohio ; and other American cities , mainly in the Northeast and the Great Lakes region . Joyce ' s son has married Horton ' s daughter , returning the Horton family to the company . Death . Early on the morning of February 21 , 1974 , Horton was driving on the Queen Elizabeth Way ] from Toronto to his home in Buffalo after the Sabres had played in Toronto the night before , in his De Tomaso Pantera sports car , a gift from Sabres ' GM George " Punch " Imlach . He was negotiating a curve on the QEW where it crosses over Twelve Mile Creek in St . Catharines when he lost control and hit a concrete culvert . The impact flipped the vehicle and Horton , who was not wearing a seat belt , was ejected . 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 ) .