The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flames left town, but former player, assistant coach didn't
Ecclestone owned Atlanta sports bars after retirement.
Hockey players always have great stories.
Tim Ecclestone could recount the tales of his career with the best of them. In fact, he made a second career of sharing with family and friends, both old and new. He would hold court at the var- ious restaurants and night- clubs he owned in the area with a rapt audience, many of whom would learn those stories as well as the narrator.
When the Atlanta Flames left the city in 1980, bound for Calgary, Ecclestone was an assistant coach. He had spent the last four years of his 11-year playing career in Atlanta before becoming an assistant with the franchise. He wasn’t about to subject his wife and two young children to the vagabond life of the NHL, even though the pros- pects of becoming a head coach were on the horizon. Ecclestone had made a home in Atlanta. This is where he would stay.
“They loved Atlanta,” his daughter, Sandi Eccle- stone Tisdale, said of Eccle- stone and his wife, Sue. “Had already made friends. Loved the weather. Loved the people. They decided they wanted to stay here and also prevent my brother and I from moving from city to city while growing up.”
“I’m sure my mom thought he was nuts that the sports bar business was more stable than the hockey business,” son Mark Ecclestone said. “He made the decision and never looked back.”
Ecclestone died Satur- day at age 76. A recent fall at home, which resulted in 10 broken ribs and a bro- ken clavicle, led to compli- cations with his lungs and a quick end to a vibrant life.
Born in Toronto in 1947, Ecclestone was chosen by the New York Rangers with the No. 9 pick in the 1964 NHL Draft. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues following the 1967 expansion draft. Those Blues made the Stanley Cup Finals in their first threesea- sons butwere swept by Mon- treal in 1968 and 1969 and Boston in 1970. Ecclestone was traded to Detroit and made the All-Star team one season. He also would play for Toronto before joining the Flames from 1974-78. In 692 games, the forwardhad 126 goals and 233 assists.
In a 2016 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Con- stitution, Ecclestone said: “I was an average player. I really have no regrets from that game and it carried me into the business world. But if I was playing today, I would probably be making $1.5 mil- lion a year. But I wouldn’t trade playing in that era for anything. It was the best era of hockey.”
When he retired, Ecclestone opened Timothy-John’s Restaurant and Lounge in Sandy Springs. In 1990, he opened T.J.’s Sports Bar and Grill in Alpharetta. It closed in 2020 when COVID-19 hit. He also opened Stone’s Cui- sine and Cocktails in Johns Creek, currently run by his son Mark. His wife passed away in 2012.
Those restaurants are where Ecclestone would hold court, recounting the life of an NHL player. One of the most famous tales came from his first NHL game. Ecclestone showed up at Madison Square Gar- den with equipment bag in tow after being called up. He took some time to talk his way into the building.
Before the game, Eccle- stone was informed by Blues coach Scotty Bowman that his job would be to sit next to the backup goalie and open the door as players came off the ice. However, his fortunes changed when a player who was called up the same day as Ecclestone froze when called to the ice.
“Scotty turned to Dad and said, ‘Ecclestone, get out there,’” Mark said. “The next day, the other guy got sent back down. Dad never left.”
At T.J.’s, there were four high-top tables by the bar. They were called the Sky Boxes. Ecclestone would hold court at Sky Box 1. After the restaurant closed, Eccle- stone would be at Stone’s several days a week. “We joked that it was a new meat for him,” Mark said. “A whole new clientele never heard these stories. All his stories got a second life.”
Ecclestone still would get dozens of cards and letters in the mail from fans all over the United States and Canada who wanted to share their own stories from his playing days and to request an autograph. Ecclestone would joke that the cards sent to be autographed had their value cut in half by his signature.
Both Mark and Sandi described their father as loving and ever-present. Even with the night work required to be in the restaurant business, he would make the time to be at morning youth sports games. Ecclestone also reached into the community and would organize many golf tournament fundraisers over the years benefiting a number of charities.
“The outpouring that we both have been receiving, it’s been heartwarming,” Sandi said.
A celebration of life will be held Monday, March 18 at Mount Pisgah Church in Johns Creek. A visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the service to follow.
Mark received a text after his father died with someone joking that they ought to inquire about the availability of Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the service.
There would be a lot of people interested in more stories about Tim Ecclestone.