Certain moments, which originate from a wide range of sources, stick with us for the duration of our lives as we navigate its ups and downs.
Your wedding day, the arrival of your kids, the death of a loved one, being accepted into the college of your dreams, your first goal in youth hockey, and your first solo performance in a school play. We could go on forever, but you get the idea.
There are some instances, though, that will always remain in your memory precisely because of their impact. Examples include the day the planes crashed into the Twin Towers, the Challenger space shuttle exploding, or Team USA’s Miracle on Ice.
The morning of February 21, 1974, brought the news that their cherished teammate, Tim Horton, had perished in a single-car collision on Queen Elizabeth Way close to St. Catharines, Ontario, some thirty miles from Buffalo’s downtown, to the Buffalo Sabres players of 1973–74.
This Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of that tragic event, which still has a lasting impact on the National Hockey League, the hockey-mad Canadian public, and the small Sabres locker room at the historic Memorial Auditorium. For our Canadian neighbors, Horton was not only a living hockey legend but also one of their most prosperous citizens.
His four Stanley Cup titles, six All-Star selections, and induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame were the fruits of his 24-year playing career; but, it was his business savvy that elevated his profile and catapulted his reputation into the stratosphere.
