It was the tragic end to the life and hockey career of Bill Barilko in the summer of 1951 that may well have opened the door for Tim Horton to become a regular with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In an ironic twist, Horton’s life also ended in tragedy over two decades later before he was able to say goodbye to hockey.
Unlike Barilko, Tim Horton has an official rookie card. Bill only appeared on cardboard once and that was an action card included in the 1951-52 Parkhurst series with him scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal in 1951 on Al McNeil of the Montreal Canadiens. The Tim Horton rookie card appeared the following year in the 1952-53 Parkhurst series as card number 58.
The Tim Horton rookie card is the second most valuable card in the set, according to Beckett Hockey Monthly
1952-53 was Horton’s first full season in the National Hockey League. He played one game in 1949-50 and four in 1951-52. Including 1952-53, Tim would sport a Maple Leafs jersey for the better part of 18 seasons before being traded to the New York Rangers during the 1969-70 season. He played in the NHL until his death from a car accident late in the 1973-74 season. Along with the Maple Leafs and Rangers, Horton also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres.
As a Maple Leaf, Tim was selected First Team All-Star three times and Second Team All-Star three times, as well. During the 1960’s, Horton held the blue line as Toronto won four Stanley Cups. The Leafs last won the Cup in 1967 and traded Tim away three years later. Of course, Toronto has never again won the Stanley Cup – could it be the curse of Tim Horton?
Tim Horton is honoured in two NHL arenas. At the Air Canada Centre, his number 7 is honoured, but not retired, by the Maple Leafs. In Buffalo, at the arena with the rotating name, it’s number 2 that is retired in honour of Tim. He wore number 2 with the Sabres because Rick Martin was already in possession of 7 when he arrived. He entered the Hockey Hall of Fame posthumously in 1977.
Horton’s final true hockey card came as number 189 in the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee series. The card is valued at up to $6. He also makes a cameo appearance on the Dave Keon card in the 1973-74 series, along with a handful of other great Maple Leafs players.