Horner, one of the toughest Toronto Maple Leafs of all time, was discovered playing for Frank Selke's Toronto Marlboros junior team in 1926 and rose to become the captain of the Maple Leafs during his 12-year NHL career.

The physical 6-foot, 190-pound defenseman played in 490 NHL games from 1928-40, finishing with 152 points (42 goals, 110 assists), including an 11-goal season in 1933-34, as well as 1,288 penalty minutes. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965.

Horner started out delivering groceries to Selke's home, meeting his wife and using his connection to finagle a tryout for the Marlboros, then part of the Ontario Hockey Association.

"I asked Mrs. Selke if she thought her husband (who coached the Marlboros) would mind if I came down and tried out for the Marlboro juniors,î Horner told the Hall of Fame in 2003. " She said, 'By all means. I'll find out from Frank when the next practice is.'"

Though Horner didn't impress Selke initially, he worked to improve and eventually proved his mettle. That attracted the notice of Maple Leafs coach and general manager Conn Smythe, who signed the Lynden, Ontario, native on Dec. 22, 1928; he made his NHL Debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Arena Gardens that night, playing his third game in the span of 24 hours.

Horner proved to be adept at moving the puck, even if skating wasn't his best attribute, and perhaps even more adept at the physical aspects of the game. He amassed 1,288 penalty minutes during his career, leading the NHL in seven of his 12 seasons. His toughness made him a difficult competitor, one who opponents did not want to see across the ice.

He spent much of his career paired with King Clancy and won a championship alongside him in 1932, the third Stanley Cup win for the Maple Leafs and first since the NHL took control of the Cup in 1926.

"King Clancy and I played together for seven years," Horner said. "Hap Day played on the other pairing with Alex Levinsky. I was just naturally a heavy hitter. I always was. I wasn't a graceful skater, but when I joined the Leafs, Frank Selke told me, 'Red, if you can learn to break fast from the blue line, you'll make this team.'

"You'd hit somebody and the puck would be at your feet. You had to break fast. I worked at it. Hard. After practice -- breaking from the blue line, breaking from the blue line."

Horner was captain of the Maple Leafs during his final two NHL seasons and retired in 1940 as the League's all-time leader in penalty minutes. He spent two seasons as an NHL linesman, then became a successful businessman. On Feb. 13, 1999, Horner took a ceremonial face-off as part of the closing ceremonies at Maple Leaf Gardens.

He died on April 27, 2005, at age 95. At the time he was the oldest living NHL player.