DeTomaso Mailing List: March 1997, Message #55
     



From: Kirk Bailey <kbailey@acs.ryerson.ca>

Subject: Re: Detomaso Celebs.......

Date: Thu, 6 Mar 1997 11:54:50 -0800 (PST)



On Thu, 6 Mar 1997, Rick Pollock wrote:



> Hi Group,

>

> I thought the lead singer for Motley Crue, Vince Neil, owned one? He was

> DUI and crashed it, killing the passenger. Anyone remember what rock band

> the passenger was in?

>

> More obscure is an NHL hockey player by the name of Tim Horton, Buffalo

> Sabres? He died in a Pantera, and his estate went on to create a large

> chain of donut shops (Tim Horton's). So the next time you are in Canada and

> drive past one of the thousands of Tim Hortons shops try and remember the

> Pantera link!

>

> Best Regards,

>

> Rick Pollock

> Vancouver, Canada

>

All:



Please note: Tim Horton was anything but obscure around Toronto and

Buffalo. He was a major fan favorite in Toronto and Buffalo.



Tim was another famous hockey grad of the major source of excellent

hockey players in Toronto---St. Michael's College. The normal Canadian

arena has on its walls pictures of the 1 or 2 who made it to the NHL

while St. Michael's has well over 150 including current NHL stars such

as Eric Lindros and Rick Tocchet and past NHL Stars such as Dave Keon,

Red Kelly and many others.



Tim Horton was the key defenceman on Toronto's 4 Stanley Cup winning

teams in the 1960's. I think I recall Bobby Hull (Bret's father) saying

that Tim Horton was probably the strongest player in the NHL in his day.

Tim had an incredible slap shot--every bit as good as Bobby Hull's and

these 2 were the 2 best!



The PANTERA story and Tim Horton: After the Toronto Maple Leaf's 4th

Stanley Cup victory in 1967 (I was lucky--I had tickets for the deciding

game and saw the Leafs win it!!!), the Toronto franchise began a bit of

a decline while Buffalo was starting its ascendancy with the "French

Connection Line of Gilbert Perrault, Rene Robert, and Richard Martin.

Perrault, in my opinion, the best stickhandler every to play hockey!!



Punch Imlach had be fired by Toronto and hired by Buffalo in hopes of a

Stanley Cup shot. Tim Horton was the strong and steady defenceman

Buffalo felt they needed. Thus when Horton was traded to Buffalo he

demanded a "PANTERA" as his signing Bonus, to which Punch Imlach said

"What the hell is a Pantera"???  In any case, Imlach complied, Tim got

his Pantera and began playing NHL Hockey for Buffalo. Tim still lived in

Toronto- normally a 2-3 hour drive from Buffalo---while playing for the

Sabres. An Ontario town called Stoney Creek, just outside of Hamilton,

Ont-- about 1 hour out of Toronto, on the way to Buffalo New York, had a

"Traffic Circle" exit. In the centre of the traffic circle was a very

high- 20 feet or more concrete wall---the road goes AROUND the wall. The

story goes that Tim and his Pantera didn't make the turn----that he his

the concrete wall at very high speed.  I have never heard the true story

of what the problem was--- did Tim fall asleep at the wheel or was there

some other problem? It was certainly clear that Tim did die in a

Pantera!  There was never any suggestion that the Pantera was in any way

deficient! The problem was clearly the driver-Tim.



Regards,



Kirk Bailey, Red 71 Pantera #1907, 91 Blue/Silver Mustang GT convertible

Toronto, Ontario, Canada.