HAMILTON – A statue of former ice hockey player Tim Horton near the entrance is the first thing that catches the eye of most curious people. Basically mine. On the outside wall we also see a representation of what the place, a former garage, looked like when it opened on May 17, 1964.
Once inside, a simple chat with manager Tammy reveals that many tourists travel to Hamilton on the corner of Dunsmure Road and Ottawa Street North to visit the first Tim Hortons in history.
“Not long ago we had people here from England and last week I was again serving customers from Ohio, USA,” she said proudly.
Museum on site
The famous restaurant, known for its coffee and donuts, was founded almost 60 years ago. Horton, a former defenseman, was playing for the Maple Leafs at the time. He also won the Stanley Cup four times with Toronto (1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967).
Tammy insists: The restaurant is worth a visit. There is a small museum where you can see the development of the chain over the years.
Miles Gilbert Horton, nicknamed Tim, therefore hails from Cochrane, a town in northern Ontario not far from Rouyn-Noranda. The athlete had started a business with the goal of improving his income during the off-season. He was also accompanied on this adventure by a Quebecer, a man named Jim Charade. A look at staff clothing from the 1960s to those planned for the future. Another observation: there was a time when a cup of coffee was sold at a ridiculous price…
A different taste?
We stopped at nothing, except perhaps the over-sweet vanilla French coffee, and chose from the menu: the farmer’s wrap, the traditional tractor wheel, and a more traditional hot drink.
It’s hard to tell whether it was because of the long walk to the restaurant or the historically complete experience, but the tractor wheel (commonly known as the “Fox” or “Honey Cruller” in English) has never tasted so good.
Before I saw them leave the house, Tammy realized she was dealing with a Montreal journalist. In the same breath, she pointed out how important it was for the Tiger-Cats to win their home game against the Alouettes in the evening. And that’s despite the absence of quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell… About the name of the stadium about fifteen blocks away: Tim Hortons Field.
- The Tim Hortons chain now has around 3,500 stores across Canada, half of them in Ontario. Ice hockey player Tim Horton met an even more tragic fate when he died in a car accident on February 21, 1974 at the age of 44. The defenseman then wore the colors of the Buffalo Sabers and denied his 22nd full season in the National Hockey League. Tim Horton, who died nearly 50 years ago, was part of the last edition of the Maple Leafs to win the 1967 Stanley Cup.
