Since many of us live on Tim Horton’s coffee/tea/french vanilla/icecap/etc, maybe it would be interesting to find out who Tim, the founder of Tim Hortons was. I know, I know, it’s a question you never think of. Tim Horton was born in Cochrane, Ontario on January 12, 1930. He was actually a defensemen for the Toronto Maple Leafs (for 17 seasons)! He played in 1,446 regular season games, scoring 115 goals and 403 assists for a total of 518 points in his hockey career– pretty impressive, no? However, he didn’t only play for the LEafs, he also played for the New York Rangers, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres.
Because hockey wasn’t a lifelong career, Tim realized he need to making a living elsewise, and decided to venture into the coffee and donut business. The first Timmes opened up in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario. In 1967, with three stores in operation, Tim became full partners with former police officer and franchisee of Tim Hortons Store #1, Ron Joyce. (Can you believe there was a time when there was no Tim Horton’s coffee?!?)
Unfortunately, this isn’t a fully happy ending. Tim died in a car accident February 21, 1974, when he was coming back from a game at Maple Leaf Gardens. When he died, there were 40 Tim Hortons. As of last year, there were 3,527 locations! What a growth, too bad he wasn’t alive to see his coffee empire.
Rest in Peace Tim Hortons.
So, are you a Tim Horton’s lover, or do you live by another coffee chain?
Tags: Cafe
