Without question he’s one of the most famous Canadians ever.  MILES GILBERT “TIM” HORTON (1930-74) was born in Cochrane, Ontario and played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the TORONTO Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres.<PHOTO ABOVE – the first restaurant to bear Tim Horton’s name opened in NORTH BAY, Ontario, It sold hamburgers instead of doughnuts.>  Today there are around 4,800 Tim Hortons coffee houses in Canada and the United States – more than 80 in Buffalo alone. There’s at least one outlet in almost every Canadian village, town and city, as well as in every rest stop along Ontario’s 401 Highway.The first TIM HORTONS doughnut shop opened in HAMILTON, Ontario in 1964. A plaque marks its former location, and not surprisingly there’s a new Tim’s on-site.Outlets in the Phlippines, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Spain and China are in planning or building stages. The idea is to increase the number of outlets to over 40,000 worldwide.  Tim’s is now under the wing of an American company, but its headquarters remain in Ontario.At 4 a.m. on February 21, 1974 Horton, who was speeding to BUFFALO from TORONTO on the Queen Elizabeth Way, lost control of his sportscar, hit a concrete culvert, was thrown onto the road, and arrived dead at a local hospital, At the time of his death there were about 50 restaurants open or in development.  <PHOTO ABOVE – Hockey Hall of Fame, TORONTO>