It was 50 years ago this month that the arena on Third Ave. was renamed in honour of Tim Horton. That’s the topic of this week’s Cochrane history feature.
The Northland Post issue of October 24th, 1974 carried the story of 1,200 people being on hand for the dedication. A new sign was unveiled by Horton’s widow, Laurie, and a plaque by his daughter, Jeri.
Tim Horton was born in Cochrane in 1930 and grew up to play in the NHL. He died eight months before the dedication, in February ’74.
The ceremony featured the presentation of plaques to three men who dedicated a large part of their lives to hockey and other sports in Cochrane: Mike Palangio, Bob Anderson and Horton’s uncle, Mel Owens. All three were instrumental in establishing the town’s first covered rink in 1939.
Thanks to the Cochrane Public Library for access to its archives for our history feature.
