Tim Horton is world famous for his coffee shops and donuts. I'm sure almost everybody thinks of his coffee when they hear his name, unless you are of a certain vintage. When I was growing up, I had three older brothers and I would read their old hockey magazines, over and over. Every magazine, especially if it was from the 60's would feature Tim Horton. Before the Great Bobby Orr came along and literally changed how defensemen play the position, Tim was the NHL’s premier defenseman of the 1960s at the end of the original six era. Before the term "stay at home defenceman" was around, when a defenceman was simply called a defenceman, Tim personified the position. He anchored the Toronto Maple Leafs to four Stanley Cup championships in the 60's, including their last team to win the Cup in '67. What I remember most from reading all those magazines is how they all talked about how solid and how strong he was, and nobody would ever fight him because he was just too strong. Horton was widely considered one of the strongest, toughest players in the NHL. This earned him the nickname "Superman", coined by legendary Toronto goaltender Johnny Bower, and because he wore black rimmed glasses away from the rink, his teammates called him "Clark Kent.” Gordie Howe once said, "When I look back at the toughest guys to play against, there were a few that really stand out for different reasons, but Tim Horton was really difficult to play against. He was, pound-for-pound, the strongest player I faced in my entire career.” I'm not old enough to remember seeing Tim play, but I am old enough to know how talented and respected he was as a player. When I think of Tim Horton I don't think of the coffee and donuts first. This is the first image I think of when I hear his name, because I grew up knowing him from this hockey card. I love the fact that some of today’s most sought after hockey cards are available only at his restaurants. But even more so, I love the fact that Tim Horton's has now become synonymous with hockey in Canada to a whole new generation,
because Tim Horton the man, will always will be synonymous with hockey in Canada to us of a certain vintage, and so will Clark Kent.