Early on the morning of February 21, 1974, while driving on the Queen Elizabeth Way from Toronto to Buffalo in his white De Tomaso Pantera sports car, (a gift from Sabres' GM George "Punch" Imlach), Horton was involved in what is now an infamous accident.
He was negotiating a curve on the QEW where it crosses over Twelve Mile Creek in St. Catharines when he lost control and hit a cement culvert.
There were reports Horton had consumed a considerable amount of vodka, and was rumoured to have been taking pain killers due to a jaw injury suffered in practice the day before.
The blood test also showed signs of amobarbital, which was possibly a residue from the Dexamyl pills that were found on Horton's body.
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average The Sabres did not qualify for the 1974 Stanley Cup playoffs, despite qualifying the previous year.