The Rochester Americans are deeply saddened by the loss of Amerks Hall of Famer Bronco Horvath. He was 89.
Horvath arrived on the Rochester hockey scene for the inaugural season in 1956-57 and quickly became one of the most prolific scorers in franchise history. A native of Port Colborne, Ontario, Horvath was the team’s first scoring leader, with 37 goals and 44 assists in just 56 games that season to become the first Amerks center, and ultimately the first Amerks Hall of Famer, to be named to the AHL’s first All-Star Team.
The following summer, the slick centerman was drafted from the roster of the parent Montreal Canadiens by the Boston Bruins, where he played for the next four seasons. It was in Boston where Horvath enjoyed his finest NHL season, finishing second to rising Chicago star Bobby Hull in the league scoring race with 80 points, just one fewer than Hull despite playing in two fewer games. He was named an NHL All-Star in back-to-back seasons in 1960 and again in 1961.
Horvath returned to Rochester in 1962-63 and stayed for the next eight seasons during the Golden Age for Amerks hockey. Led by Horvath and a cast of other Amerks legends, Rochester won three Calder Cup championships in a four-year span from 1965-68, cementing its status as the first dynasty of the American Hockey League. Horvath earned Second Team AHL All-Star nods in 1964 and 1965.
Horvath’s best season as an Amerk came during the 1964-65 campaign when produced 106 points on 38 goals and 68 assists in 72 games. It would mark the first 100-point performance by an Amerk and the first of just nine in franchise history.
A five-time 20-goal scorer with the Amerks, Horvath continued to produce until his retirement in 1970 and finished his AHL career with 263 goals and 484 assists for 747 points in 666 regular-season games. He recorded 542 of those points in an Amerks uniform, ranking third all-time in franchise scoring. A tremendous playmaker whose soft touch made him a magician with the puck, Horvath also ranks second all-time in assists (343), fourth in goals (199) and eighth in gamed played (473).
He was a member of the Amerks inaugural Hall of Fame Class of 1986 and was later inducted into the American Hockey League Hall of Famer as part of the Class of 2015.