London Knights | |
---|---|
City | London, Ontario |
League | Ontario Hockey League |
Conference | Western |
Division | Midwest |
Founded | 1965 |
Home arena | Budweiser Gardens |
Colours | Green, yellow, black, and white |
General manager | Mark Hunter |
Head coach | Dale Hunter |
Affiliates | London Nationals, St. Thomas Stars |
Website | www |
Franchise history | |
1965–1968 | London Nationals |
1968–present | London Knights |
Championships | |
Playoff championships | Memorial Cup: 2005, 2016 OHL: 2005, 2012, 2013, 2016 |
The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their current name in 1968. The Knights have won two Memorial Cup championships.
History
Early days
The London Nationals were granted a franchise in the OHA for the 1965–66 season under the ownership of the London Gardens arena, with the Toronto Maple Leafs controlling the team's players.[1] Upon the collapse of the Metro Junior A League in 1963, the Leafs were left with only one sponsored OHA team, the Toronto Marlboros, with which to place their prospects. The team in London replaced the old Toronto St. Michael's Majors, who had folded a couple of years earlier. The Leafs originally wanted the Nationals to begin play in 1963–64, but it wasn't until a year later that the Nats became the Leafs' second team.
The Nationals were named for their sponsor, the Canadian National Recreation Association, an organization of Canadian National Railways employees, and took their uniforms as copies of those of the Maple Leafs, except for the words "London Nationals" spelled out on the Leaf instead of the familiar Toronto Maple Leafs script.
After three seasons, direct NHL sponsorship of junior teams ended. The team and Gardens was sold to businessman Howard Darwin for $500,000, who renamed the team to the Knights and changed the colours to green and gold.[2]
1968–1986: the Darwin era
In 1968, businessman Howard Darwin bought the London Nationals (he also owned the Ottawa 67's) as the era of NHL sponsorship of junior hockey ended. Darwin wanted to give a fresh look to the team, and so held a contest to rename the team. Londoner Brian Logie[3] suggested the name Knights, and the team's colours were changed to green, white and gold. In 1970 the team also hired trainer Don Brankley, who stayed with the team until retiring at the end of the 2007–08 season. The team grew from a chronic also-ran in the late 1960s and early 1970s to a contender near the end of the decade. The highlight of the Darwin era came in 1976–77, when a powerful Knights team led by future NHLers Rob Ramage, Brad Marsh and Dino Ciccarelli defeated the St. Catharines Fincups in the conference final on an overtime goal by Dan Eastman to advance to the OHL final against the 67's. However, the 67's were triumphant in six games in the league final. Following the retirement of long time head coach Bill Long following the 1979–80 season the franchise struggled to find success under new coach Paul McIntosh. Don Boyd was hired as McIntosh's replacement starting the 1983–84 season and the Knights fortunes began to improve. The Knights finished second in the Emms Division during the 1984–85 season lead by future NHL players Brian Bradley, Dave Lowry, Jeff Reese, Bob Halkidis and Jim Sandlak. Despite the team's depth, they were eliminated 3 games to 1 by the Hamilton Steelhawks in the second round of the playoffs. The following two seasons saw the team struggle under the newly hired head coach Wayne Maxner in spite of the emergence of future NHL star Brendan Shanahan. The 1985–86 team grabbed the final playoff spot in the Emms division during the last weekend of the regular season before exiting the playoffs 4-0-1 against the North Bay Centennials, while the 1986–87 Knights failed to qualify for the playoffs.
1986–1994: new owners, new dawn
In 1986 Howard Darwin sold the Knights and the arena to Paris, Ontario businessmen Jack Robillard, Al Martin and Bob Willson. The trio also owned the Hamilton Steelhawks. The Knights were sold for a dollar but the London Gardens was sold at market value. The new ownership group modified the team's logo, which incorporated black into the color scheme and renovated the Gardens. Under their stewardship the Knights would go on a run of success. Between 1987 and 1993 the team would finish no lower than third in the Emms Division, including a division title in 1989–90. However, regular season success did not translate into playoff success, as the Knights would never make the league final in these years.
1994–2000: "Knightmare" and redemption
In 1994 the Knights were sold to St. Thomas, Ontario, real estate developer Doug Tarry Sr. He died before the team had played a game under his ownership, and the team was inherited by his son, Doug Tarry Jr. Upon taking command, Tarry carried out further renovations on the Gardens including a name change to the "London Ice House." He also alienated a fair portion of the team's fan base by changing the team's colours from green, gold and black to eggplant and teal, and changing the logo to a cartoon logo instantly and derisively nicknamed "Spiderknight"[4] by the faithful.
The Knights' 1995–96 OHL season went down as the worst in the history of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights finished the season with only nine points and a 3–60–3 record. The years following the so-called "Knightmare" season were improved, but the team was still a long way from the league's upper echelon. Meanwhile, the Ice House was falling apart as the Tarry family had stopped putting money into it as a part of their lobbying the city of London for a new arena. However, the re-signing of former head coach Gary Agnew, and the signing of future NHLers Rico Fata and Tom Kostopoulos heralded a marked turnaround for the team's fortunes. In 1999, the Knights went on an unexpected playoff run, in which they defeated the number-one-in-the-CHL Plymouth Whalers in seven games in the quarterfinals and ultimately went all the way to the OHL championship, which they lost in seven games to the Belleville Bulls.
2000–present: the Hunter era
In 2000, former NHL players Dale Hunter, Mark Hunter and Basil McRae bought the Knights from Doug Tarry Jr. The sale was brokered by George Georgopoulos, who was negotiating with the city of London for the development of a state of the art multipurpose entertainment centre and arena – the John Labatt Centre. The Hunters began the process of rebuilding by firstly joining in the lobbying for a new 9,900 seat arena in Downtown London and putting together a smart scouting network. The Ice House was scheduled to be sold and closed at the conclusion of the 2001–02 OHL season, and the Knights changed back to the 1986–94 green, gold and black colour scheme in February 2002. In October that year the Labatt Centre opened, and new uniforms featuring black as the dominant color debuted.
The 2003–04 OHL season would mark the beginning of a remarkable dynasty. The Knights had the best regular season record in the CHL and set an OHL record with 110 points, but lost the OHL Western Conference final to the Guelph Storm. In the 2004–05 season, the Knights set a new CHL record by going 31 games in a row without a loss (29–0–2).[5] The previous record of 29 games, held by the 1978–79 Brandon Wheat Kings (who went 25–0–4 during their streak), was broken with a 0–0 tie against the Guelph Storm on December 10, 2004. The streak ended at 31 games after a 5–2 loss to the Sudbury Wolves on December 17. The Knights finished the season with 120 points (59 wins, 7 losses, 2 ties), breaking their own OHL record set the previous season. In the playoffs, the Knights started by sweeping two best-of-seven series against the Guelph Storm and Windsor Spitfires. In the Western Conference final, the Knights defeated the Kitchener Rangers 4–1 to win the Wayne Gretzky Trophy. In the OHL finals against the Ottawa 67's, the Knights won the series 4–1 to win their first J. Ross Robertson Cup, ending the longest championship drought in the CHL. That same year, the London Knights and the John Labatt Centre (renamed Budweiser Gardens in 2012) were awarded the right to host 2005 Memorial Cup Tournament, which was played from May 21 to May 29. In the tournament, they defeated the Rimouski Océanic 4–3 on May 21, the Kelowna Rockets 4–2 on May 23, and the Ottawa 67's 5–2 on May 26. This earned the Knights a bye into the championship game. On May 29, the Knights defeated Rimouski 4–0 to win their first Memorial Cup. In 2005–06, the team won their third consecutive Hamilton Spectator Trophy for winning the regular season title, but their run into the playoffs ended with a loss to Peterborough in the OHL final. In 2006–07 the Knights continued their run of success, winning their fourth consecutive Hamilton Spectator Trophy as regular season champions. However, they lost the Western Conference Championship to the Plymouth Whalers.
On January 9, 2009, the London Knights made a blockbuster trade. They acquired future number one pick in the 2009 NHL draft, John Tavares, from the Oshawa Generals. The Knights also received defenceman Michael Del Zotto and goaltender Darryl Borden. In return, the Generals received defenceman Scott Valentine, forward Christian Thomas, goaltender Michael Zador, four second-round draft picks (2009–12) and two third-round picks (2010–11). After a strong 2009–10 season, the Knights decided to turn to young players for the 2010–11 season. They traded several veterans for future draft picks throughout the season, and at the deadline in hopes of re-building another contender.
On November 28, 2011, Dale Hunter resigned as head coach to become head coach of his former NHL team, the Washington Capitals. Brother Mark Hunter assumed the coaching helm. Under Mark's guidance, the Knights won their second OHL title in 2011–12, defeating the Niagara IceDogs four games to one in the league final and advancing to the 2012 Memorial Cup. The Knights finished the round robin in first place, but lost in the championship final 2–1 in overtime to the host Shawinigan Cataractes.
Despite a successful season in Washington — coaching the struggling Capitals to the playoffs and an upset of the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in the first round before being eliminated by the New York Rangers — Dale Hunter announced on May 14, 2012, he would not return to coach the Capitals in the 2012–13 season, choosing instead to return to the London Knights.[6]
With Hunter once again behind the bench, the Knights continued their winning ways in the 2012–13 season, handily leading the league with 105 points in the regular season en route to their second-straight Hamilton Spectator Trophy. They then cruised through the first three rounds of the playoffs, defeating the Saginaw Spirit, Kitchener Rangers and Plymouth Whalers in four, five and five games respectively. The Knights capped their OHL season with a thrilling game seven win over the Barrie Colts as Bo Horvat scored the game-winning goal in the last second of the third period to capture the Knights' second consecutive J. Ross Robertson Cup.[7] At the 2013 Memorial Cup the Knights finished 1–2 in the round robin, forcing them to play a tie-breaker against the host Saskatoon Blades. Though the Knights handily defeated the Blades 6–1, they lost to the Portland Winterhawks 2–1 in the semifinal.
London finished the 2013–14 season third in the OHL with 103 regular season points. However, the only two teams above them were their division opponents, the Guelph Storm and Erie Otters, thus denying the Knights a third straight division title. After sweeping the Windsor Spitfires in the first round the Knights were eliminated by the Storm in five games. Nevertheless, the Knights earned a berth in the 2014 Memorial Cup, their third straight, by virtue of being selected to host the tournament the day after winning the OHL championship the year before.[8] Faced with stiff competition, the Knights finished last in the round robin and were eliminated from the tournament.
On October 21, 2014, Mark Hunter resigned as Knights general manager after being appointed director of player personnel for the Toronto Maple Leafs.[9] Basil McRae succeeded Hunter as GM, though Hunter retained his ownership interest in the Knights and continued as vice president of the team.
The 2014–15 season was a rebuilding for the Knights. Despite this, the team finished second in the Midwest division and made it to the second round of the playoffs before being swept by the Erie Otters.
A renewed and powerful Knights team finished the 2015–16 season tied with the Erie Otters for the league lead with 105 points, but were denied the Hamilton Spectator Trophy by virtue of a tiebreaker. In the first round of the playoffs the Owen Sound Attack forced a sixth game before the Knights finished them off and began a thirteen-game winning streak, sweeping the Kitchener Rangers, Erie Otters and Niagara IceDogs en route to their third OHL championship and fourth Memorial Cup appearance in five seasons. The Knights entered the 2016 Memorial Cup as favourites due to their impressive winning streak and did not disappoint, dominating the round robin and outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 20–5. In the championship game, the Knights faced off against the CHL number-one ranked Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The Huskies pushed the Knights to the limit, carrying a 2–1 lead late into the third period before Christian Dvorak scored with 4:11 remaining to force overtime, where a goal by Matthew Tkachuk earned the Knights their 17th-straight win and second Memorial Cup championship.
Championships
The London Knights have won the Memorial Cup tournament two times, won the J. Ross Robertson Cup four times, won the Western Conference seven times, and have won fifteen division titles.
Memorial Cup (CHL champions)
J. Ross Robertson Cup (OHL champions)
Hamilton Spectator Trophy (Most points in regular reason)
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Wayne Gretzky Trophy (Western Conference champions)
Division trophies
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Awards
Canadian Hockey League
Ed Chynoweth Trophy
George Parsons Trophy
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy
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Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award
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Ontario Hockey League
Bobby Smith Trophy
Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy
Dave Pinkney Trophy
Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy
Emms Family Award
F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy
Jack Ferguson Award
Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy
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Matt Leyden Trophy
Max Kaminsky Trophy
Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy
Red Tilson Trophy
Roger Neilson Memorial Award
Wayne Gretzky 99 Award
William Hanley Trophy
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Coaches
The London Nationals were coached by Jack McIntyre for the 1965–66 season. For their second and third seasons from 1966 to 1968, the Nationals were coached by Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Turk Broda.
London Knights coaches have won the Matt Leyden Trophy, emblematic of the OHL's Coach of the Year, five times. Bill Long won it once, in 1976–77, Gary Agnew twice, in 1992–93 and in 1997–98, and Dale Hunter twice, in 2003–04 and 2004–05. Dale Hunter also won the Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award, emblematic of CHL Coach of the Year honours, in 2003–04.
As London Nationals:
- 1965–1966 — Jack McIntyre
- 1966–1968 — Turk Broda
As London Knights:
- 1968–1969 — Gene Taylor
- 1969–1971 — Bep Guidolin
- 1971–1972 — Bronco Horvath
- 1972–1980 — Bill Long
- 1980–1983 — Paul McIntosh
- 1983–1986 — Don Boyd
- 1986–1990 — Wayne Maxner
- 1990–1994 — Gary Agnew
- 1994–1995 — Mike Fedorko
- 1995–1996 — Murray Nystrom (interim)
- 1995–1996 — Tom Barrett
- 1996–1997 — Brad Selwood
- 1996–1997 — Paul McIntosh (interim)
- 1997–2000 — Gary Agnew
- 2000–2001 — Lindsay Hofford
- 2001–2011 — Dale Hunter
- 2011–2012 — Mark Hunter
- 2012–present – Dale Hunter
Notes: Mike Fedorko was entering his second season as Knights' coach and GM in the autumn of 1995. He was fired in October 1995 when the Knights began the season with a 13-game losing streak. Assistant Murray Nystrom took over coaching duties temporarily. Tom Barrett, who had led the Kitchener Rangers to the 1984 Memorial Cup, was named head coach in December. Barrett died of cancer in April 1996, shortly after the conclusion of the season. Moe Mantha was originally named the head coach to take over from Barrett, but left to coach the Baltimore Bandits of the American Hockey League before coaching a game. Brad Selwood was ultimately named Barrett's replacement for 1996–97 but was fired mid-season and GM Paul McIntosh took over on an interim basis for the rest of the season. Gary Agnew was rehired at the start of 1997–98.[10]
Players
NHL or WHA alumni
The following is a complete list of London Knights who later played in the National Hockey League or World Hockey Association.
- London Nationals
- London Knights
- Akim Aliu
- Jason Allison
- Josh Anderson
- Andreas Athanasiou
- Krys Barch
- Roger Belanger
- Stefan Bergkvist
- Danny Bois
- Mike Boland
- Dave Bolland
- Adam Boqvist
- Dan Bouchard
- Evan Bouchard
- Pat Boutette
- Brian Bradley
- Fred Brathwaite
- Gord Brooks
- Scott Campbell
- Frank Caprice
- John Carlson
- Billy Carroll
- Jeff Christian
- Dino Ciccarelli
- Gerald Coleman
- Paul Cotter
- Doug Crossman
- Louie DeBrusk
- Guy Delparte
- Michael Del Zotto
- Brian Dobbin
- Max Domi
- Christian Dvorak
- Darryl Edestrand
- Remi Elie
- John Erskine
- Kevin Evans
- Luke Evangelista
- Rico Fata
- Alex Formenton
- Liam Foudy
- Dan Fritsche
- Sam Gagner
- Gary Geldart
- Sam Gellard
- Gilles Gilbert
- Dan Girardi
- Ben Gleason
- Larry Goodenough
- John Gould
- Rick Green
- Seth Griffith
- Jonathan Gruden
- David Haas
- Bob Halkidis
- Jim Hamilton
- Scott Harrington
- Alex Henry
- Todd Hlushko
- Terry Holbrook
- Dean Hopkins
- Bill Horton
- Bo Horvat
- Michael Houser
- Michael Hutchinson
- Dave Hutchison
- Peter Ing
- Dan Jancevski
- Max Jones
- Nazem Kadri
- Patrick Kane
- Ed Kastelic
- Joey Keane
- Rick Kehoe
- Chris Kelly
- Evgeny Korolev
- Sergei Kostitsyn
- Tom Kostopoulos
- Janne Kuokkanen
- Steve Langdon
- Drew Larman
- Roger Lemelin
- Dave Lowry
- Olli Maatta
- Dan Maloney
- Mitch Marner
- Patrick Maroon
- Brad Marsh
- Terry Martin
- Dennis Maruk
- Steve Mason
- Michael McCarron
- Dennis McCord
- Scott McKay
- Greg McKegg
- Sean McMorrow
- Basil McRae
- Philip McRae
- Dakota Mermis
- Victor Mete
- Marc Methot
- Mike Murray
- Vladislav Namestnikov
- Rick Nash
- Neil Nicholson
- Paul Nicholson
- Frank Nigro
- Lou Nistico
- Randy Osburn
- Joe Paterson
- Matt Pelech
- Corey Perry
- Tom Price
- Barry Potomski
- Brandon Prust
- Chris Pusey
- Kyle Quincey
- Rob Ramage
- Jeff Reese
- Alec Regula
- Danny Richmond
- Pat Riggin
- Zac Rinaldo
- Bryan Rodney
- Tom Rowe
- Drake Rymsha
- Jim Sandlak
- Brad Schlegel
- Jim Schoenfeld
- Dwight Schofield
- Rob Schremp
- Brendan Shanahan
- Kole Sherwood
- Jason Simon
- Darryl Sittler
- Gary Sittler
- Gemel Smith
- Steve Smith
- Brad Smyth
- Greg Smyth
- Andy Spruce
- Nick Stajduhar
- Vern Stenlund
- Charlie Stephens
- Shayne Stevenson
- Trevor Stienburg
- Anthony Stolarz
- Danny Syvret
- John Tanner
- John Tavares
- Chris Taylor
- Tim Taylor
- Christian Thomas
- Reg Thomas
- Robert Thomas
- Billy Tibbetts
- Chris Tierney
- Jarred Tinordi
- Matthew Tkachuk
- Larry Trader
- Phil Varone
- Dennis Ververgaert
- Mark Visheau
- Austin Watson
- Don Wheldon
- Dennis Wideman
- Jordan Willis
- Bert Wilson
- Ryan Winterton
- Nikita Zadorov
- Ron Zanussi
First round picks in NHL or WHA drafts
The London Knights have had at least one player drafted in each NHL Entry Draft from 1969 onward.[11]
The following players were selected in the first round of the NHL entry draft:
- Darryl Sittler – 1970, 8th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Dan Maloney – 1970, 14th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks
- Dennis Ververgaert – 1973, 3rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks
- Rick Green – 1976, 1st overall by the Washington Capitals
- Scott Campbell – 1977, 9th overall by the St. Louis Blues
- Brad Marsh – 1978, 11th overall by the Atlanta Flames
- Rob Ramage – 1979, 1st overall by the Colorado Rockies
- Jim Sandlak – 1985, 4th overall by the Vancouver Canucks
- Brendan Shanahan – 1987, 2nd overall by the New Jersey Devils
- Nick Stajduhar – 1993, 16th overall by the Edmonton Oilers
- Jason Allison – 1993, 17th overall by the Washington Capitals
- Rico Fata – 1998, 6th overall by the Calgary Flames
- Rick Nash – 2002, 1st overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets
- Corey Perry – 2003, 28th overall by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
- Rob Schremp – 2004, 25th overall by the Edmonton Oilers
- Patrick Kane – 2007, 1st overall by the Chicago Blackhawks
- Sam Gagner – 2007, 6th overall by the Edmonton Oilers
- John Tavares – 2009, 1st overall by the New York Islanders
- Nazem Kadri – 2009, 7th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Vladislav Namestnikov – 2011, 27th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning
- Olli Maatta – 2012, 22nd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins
- Bo Horvat – 2013, 9th overall by the Vancouver Canucks
- Max Domi – 2013, 12th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes
- Nikita Zadorov – 2013, 16th overall by the Buffalo Sabres
- Mitch Marner – 2015, 4th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Olli Juolevi – 2016, 5th overall by the Vancouver Canucks
- Matthew Tkachuk – 2016, 6th overall by the Calgary Flames
- Max Jones – 2016, 24th overall by the Anaheim Ducks
- Robert Thomas – 2017, 20th overall by the St. Louis Blues
- Evan Bouchard – 2018, 10th overall by the Edmonton Oilers
- Liam Foudy – 2018, 18th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets
- Connor McMichael – 2019, 25th overall by the Washington Capitals
- Oliver Bonk - 2023, 22nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers[12]
- Easton Cowan - 2023, 28th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs[12]
The following players were selected in the first round of the WHA amateur draft:
- Reg Thomas – 1973, 8th overall by the Los Angeles Sharks
- Rick Green – 1976, 10th overall by the Quebec Nordiques
- Scott Campbell – 1977, 1st overall by the Houston Aeros
Retired numbers
List of numbers retired by the London Knights.[13]
- 5 – Rob Ramage
- 8 – Dino Ciccarelli
- 9 – Darryl Sittler
- 19 – Brendan Shanahan
- 22 – Brad Marsh
- 61 – Rick Nash
- 88 – Patrick Kane
- 91 – Dave Bolland
- 94 – Corey Perry
Hall of Famers
List of London Knights players in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Season-by-season results
Legend: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, SL = Shoot-out losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Memorial Cup champions | OHL champions | OHL runners-up |
Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | SL | Pts | Win % | GF | GA | Standing | Playoffs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1965–66 | 48 | 12 | 29 | 7 | - | - | 31 | 0.323 | 149 | 235 | 9th OHA | |
1966–67 | 48 | 18 | 21 | 9 | - | - | 45 | 0.469 | 185 | 214 | 6th OHA | Lost Quarterfinal (Niagara Falls Flyers) 8–4 |
1967–68 | 54 | 17 | 31 | 6 | - | - | 40 | 0.370 | 177 | 262 | 7th OHA | Lost Quarterfinal (Hamilton Red Wings) 8–2 |
1968–69 | 54 | 19 | 26 | 9 | - | - | 47 | 0.435 | 242 | 258 | 7th OHA | Lost Quarterfinal (Peterborough Petes) 8–4 |
1969–70 | 54 | 22 | 25 | 7 | - | - | 51 | 0.472 | 209 | 238 | 6th OHA | Won Quarterfinal (Peterborough Petes) 8–4 Lost Semifinal (Toronto Marlboros) 9–3 |
1970–71 | 62 | 19 | 35 | 8 | - | - | 46 | 0.371 | 232 | 281 | 8th OHA | Lost Quarterfinal (Montreal Junior Canadiens) 8–0 |
1971–72 | 63 | 23 | 31 | 9 | - | - | 55 | 0.437 | 253 | 285 | 8th OHA | Lost Quarterfinal (Ottawa 67's) 8–6 |
1972–73 | 63 | 33 | 22 | 8 | - | - | 74 | 0.587 | 334 | 246 | 4th OHA | Won Quarterfinal (Kitchener Rangers) 8–0 Lost Semifinal (Peterborough Petes) 9–5 |
1973–74 | 70 | 36 | 27 | 7 | - | - | 79 | 0.564 | 282 | 250 | 4th OHA | Lost Quarterfinal (Toronto Marlboros) 9–1 |
1974–75 | 70 | 26 | 37 | 7 | - | - | 59 | 0.421 | 296 | 368 | 9th OHA | |
1975–76 | 66 | 31 | 26 | 9 | - | - | 71 | 0.538 | 317 | 256 | 2nd Emms | Lost Quarterfinal (Toronto Marlboros) 8–2 |
1976–77 | 66 | 51 | 13 | 2 | - | - | 104 | 0.788 | 379 | 203 | 2nd Emms | Won Quarterfinal (Toronto Marlboros) 9–3 Won Semifinal (St. Catharines Fincups) 9–7 Lost OHL Championship (Ottawa 67's) 8–4 |
1977–78 | 68 | 35 | 22 | 11 | - | - | 81 | 0.596 | 333 | 251 | 1st Emms | Won Quarterfinal (Kitchener Rangers) 8–0 Lost Semifinal (Hamilton Fincups) 9–5 |
1978–79 | 68 | 37 | 29 | 2 | - | - | 76 | 0.559 | 310 | 287 | 2nd Emms | Tied First-round (Windsor Spitfires) – Series disputed Lost Semifinal (Niagara Falls Flyers) – Round-robin |
1979–80 | 68 | 26 | 38 | 4 | - | - | 56 | 0.412 | 328 | 334 | 5th Emms | Lost First-round (Niagara Falls Flyers) 6–4 |
1980–81 | 68 | 20 | 48 | 0 | - | - | 40 | 0.294 | 300 | 388 | 6th Emms | |
1981–82 | 68 | 35 | 30 | 3 | - | - | 73 | 0.537 | 359 | 328 | 3rd Emms | Lost First-round (Brantford Alexanders) 6–2 |
1982–83 | 70 | 32 | 37 | 1 | - | - | 65 | 0.464 | 336 | 339 | 5th Emms | Lost First-round (Brantford Alexanders) 6–0 |
1983–84 | 70 | 32 | 37 | 1 | - | - | 65 | 0.464 | 288 | 319 | 4th Emms | Won First-round (North Bay Centennials) 6–2 Lost Quarterfinal (Kitchener Rangers) 8–0 |
1984–85 | 66 | 43 | 22 | 1 | - | - | 87 | 0.659 | 340 | 276 | 2nd Emms | Won First-round (Windsor Spitfires) 8–0 Lost Quarterfinal (Hamilton Steelhawks) 6–2 |
1985–86 | 66 | 28 | 33 | 5 | - | - | 61 | 0.462 | 271 | 292 | 6th Emms | Lost First-round (North Bay Centennials) 9–1 |
1986–87 | 66 | 25 | 39 | 2 | - | - | 52 | 0.394 | 259 | 329 | 7th Emms | |
1987–88 | 66 | 40 | 22 | 4 | - | - | 84 | 0.636 | 309 | 273 | 2nd Emms | Won First-round (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) 4–2 Lost Quarterfinal (Hamilton Steelhawks) 4–2 |
1988–89 | 66 | 37 | 25 | 4 | - | - | 78 | 0.591 | 311 | 264 | 3rd Emms | Won First-round (Guelph Platers) 4–3 Won Quarterfinal (North Bay Centennials) 4–3 Lost Semifinal (Niagara Falls Thunder) 4–3 |
1989–90 | 66 | 41 | 19 | 6 | - | - | 88 | 0.667 | 313 | 246 | 1st Emms | Lost First-round (Niagara Falls Thunder) 4–2 |
1990–91 | 66 | 38 | 25 | 3 | - | - | 79 | 0.598 | 301 | 270 | 3rd Emms | Lost First-round (Windsor Spitfires) 4–3 |
1991–92 | 66 | 37 | 25 | 4 | - | - | 78 | 0.591 | 310 | 260 | 3rd Emms | Won First-round (Owen Sound Platers) 4–1 Lost Quarterfinal (Niagara Falls Thunder) 4–1 |
1992–93 | 66 | 32 | 27 | 7 | - | - | 71 | 0.538 | 323 | 292 | 3rd Emms | Won First-round (Kitchener Rangers) 4–3 Lost Quarterfinal (Detroit Junior Red Wings) 4–1 |
1993–94 | 66 | 32 | 30 | 4 | - | - | 68 | 0.515 | 293 | 279 | 5th Emms | Lost First-round (Guelph Storm) 4–1 |
1994–95 | 66 | 18 | 44 | 4 | - | - | 40 | 0.303 | 210 | 309 | 4th Western | Lost First-round (Detroit Junior Red Wings) 4–0 |
1995–96 | 66 | 3 | 60 | 3 | - | - | 9 | 0.068 | 179 | 435 | 5th Western | |
1996–97 | 66 | 13 | 51 | 2 | - | - | 28 | 0.212 | 215 | 365 | 5th Western | |
1997–98 | 66 | 40 | 21 | 5 | - | - | 85 | 0.644 | 301 | 238 | 1st Western | Won First-round (Erie Otters) 4–3 Won Quarterfinal (Kingston Frontenacs) 4–1 Lost Semifinal (Ottawa 67's) 4–0 |
1998–99 | 68 | 34 | 30 | 4 | - | - | 72 | 0.529 | 260 | 217 | 3rd West | Won First-round (Sarnia Sting) 4–2 Won Quarterfinal (Plymouth Whalers) 4–3 Won Semifinal (Owen Sound Platers) 4–1 Lost OHL Championship (Belleville Bulls) 4–3 |
1999–2000 | 68 | 22 | 36 | 7 | 3 | - | 54 | 0.397 | 186 | 250 | 5th West | |
2000–01 | 68 | 26 | 34 | 5 | 3 | - | 60 | 0.441 | 222 | 263 | 4th West | Lost First-round (Erie Otters) 4–1 |
2001–02 | 68 | 24 | 27 | 10 | 7 | - | 65 | 0.478 | 210 | 249 | 5th West | Won First-round (Plymouth Whalers) 4–2 Lost Quarterfinal (Erie Otters) 4–2 |
2002–03 | 68 | 31 | 27 | 7 | 3 | - | 72 | 0.529 | 220 | 205 | 2nd Midwest | Won First-round (Windsor Spitfires) 4–3 Lost Quarterfinal (Plymouth Whalers) 4–3 |
2003–04 | 68 | 53 | 11 | 2 | 2 | - | 110 | 0.809 | 300 | 147 | 1st Midwest | Won First-round (Windsor Spitfires) 4–0 Won Quarterfinal (Erie Otters) 4–0 Lost Semifinal (Guelph Storm) 4–3 |
2004–05 | 68 | 59 | 7 | 2 | 0 | - | 120 | 0.882 | 310 | 125 | 1st Midwest | Won First-round (Guelph Storm) 4–0 Won Quarterfinal (Windsor Spitfires) 4–0 Won Semifinal (Kitchener Rangers) 4–1 Won OHL Championship (Ottawa 67's) 4–1 1st place in Memorial Cup Round-robin Won Memorial Cup Final (Rimouski Océanic) 4–0 |
2005–06 | 68 | 49 | 15 | - | 1 | 3 | 102 | 0.750 | 304 | 211 | 1st Midwest | Won First-round (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) 4–0 Won Quarterfinal (Owen Sound Attack) 4–2 Won Semifinal (Guelph Storm) 4–1 Lost OHL Championship (Peterborough Petes) 4–0 |
2006–07 | 68 | 50 | 14 | - | 1 | 3 | 104 | 0.765 | 311 | 231 | 1st Midwest | Won First-round (Owen Sound Attack) 4–0 Won Quarterfinal (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) 4–3 Lost Semifinal (Plymouth Whalers) 4–1 |
2007–08 | 68 | 38 | 24 | - | 4 | 2 | 82 | 0.603 | 250 | 230 | 2nd Midwest | Lost First-round (Guelph Storm) 4–1 |
2008–09 | 68 | 49 | 16 | - | 1 | 2 | 101 | 0.743 | 287 | 194 | 1st Midwest | Won First-round (Erie Otters) 4–1 Won Quarterfinal (Saginaw Spirit) 4–0 Lost Semifinal (Windsor Spitfires) 4–1 |
2009–10 | 68 | 49 | 16 | - | 1 | 2 | 101 | 0.743 | 273 | 208 | 1st Midwest | Won First-round (Guelph Storm) 4–1 Lost Quarterfinal (Kitchener Rangers) 4–3 |
2010–11 | 68 | 34 | 29 | - | 4 | 1 | 73 | 0.537 | 230 | 253 | 5th Midwest | Lost First-round (Owen Sound Attack) 4–2 |
2011–12 | 68 | 49 | 18 | - | 0 | 1 | 99 | 0.728 | 277 | 178 | 1st Midwest | Won First-round (Windsor Spitfires) 4–0 Won Quarterfinal (Saginaw Spirit) 4–2 Won Semifinal (Kitchener Rangers) 4–0 Won OHL Championship (Niagara IceDogs) 4–1 1st place in Memorial Cup Round-robin Lost Memorial Cup Final (Shawinigan Cataractes) 2–1 (OT) |
2012–13 | 68 | 50 | 13 | - | 2 | 3 | 105 | 0.772 | 279 | 180 | 1st Midwest | Won First-round (Saginaw Spirit) 4–0 Won Quarterfinal (Kitchener Rangers) 4–1 Won Semifinal (Plymouth Whalers) 4–1 Won OHL Championship (Barrie Colts) 4–3 3rd place in Memorial Cup Round-robin Won Memorial Cup Tiebreaker (Saskatoon Blades) 6–1 Lost Memorial Cup Semifinal (Portland Winterhawks) 2–1 |
2013–14 | 68 | 49 | 14 | - | 1 | 4 | 103 | 0.757 | 316 | 203 | 3rd Midwest | Won First-round (Windsor Spitfires) 4–0 Lost Quarterfinal (Guelph Storm) 4–1 4th place in Memorial Cup Round-robin[lower-alpha 1] |
2014–15 | 68 | 40 | 24 | - | 1 | 3 | 84 | 0.618 | 289 | 260 | 2nd Midwest | Won First-round (Kitchener Rangers) 4–2 Lost Quarterfinal (Erie Otters) 4–0 |
2015–16 | 68 | 51 | 14 | - | 2 | 1 | 105 | 0.772 | 319 | 182 | 2nd Midwest | Won First-round (Owen Sound Attack) 4–2 Won Quarterfinal (Kitchener Rangers) 4–0 Won Semifinal (Erie Otters) 4–0 Won OHL Championship (Niagara IceDogs) 4–0 1st place in Memorial Cup Round-robin Won Memorial Cup Final (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies) 3–2 (OT) |
2016–17 | 68 | 46 | 15 | - | 3 | 4 | 99 | 0.728 | 289 | 194 | 3rd Midwest | Won First-round (Windsor Spitfires) 4–3 Lost Quarterfinal (Erie Otters) 4–3 |
2017–18 | 68 | 39 | 25 | - | 2 | 2 | 82 | 0.603 | 233 | 212 | 3rd Midwest | Lost First-round (Owen Sound Attack) 4–0 |
2018–19 | 68 | 46 | 15 | - | 6 | 1 | 99 | 0.728 | 299 | 211 | 1st Midwest | Won First-round (Windsor Spitfires) 4–0 Lost Quarterfinal (Guelph Storm) 4–3 |
2019–20 | 62 | 45 | 15 | - | 1 | 1 | 92 | 0.742 | 265 | 187 | 1st Midwest | Playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
2020–21 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||||||
2021–22 | 68 | 39 | 22 | - | 5 | 2 | 85 | 0.625 | 264 | 232 | 1st Midwest | Lost First-round (Kitchener Rangers) 4–3 |
2022–23 | 68 | 45 | 21 | - | 2 | 0 | 92 | 0.676 | 269 | 214 | 1st Midwest | Won First-round (Owen Sound Attack) 4–0 Won Quarterfinal (Kitchener Rangers) 4–1 Won Semifinal (Sarnia Sting) 4–2 Lost OHL Championship (Peterborough Petes) 4–2 |
- Notes
- ↑ The London Knights automatically qualified for the 2014 Memorial Cup, since they hosted the tournament.
Arenas
The London Gardens was built in 1963 and served as the home of the Knights from the team's inception in 1965 to its closing in 2002. The building was renamed London Ice House in 1994. The Knights final game played at the arena was in the 2002 playoffs, where the Knights lost in overtime in the sixth game of the second round to the eventual OHL Champion Erie Otters. The Knights used the Ice House for their training camp and exhibition schedule for the 2002–03 season and moved out permanently in October 2002.
The Budweiser Gardens opened on October 11, 2002 as the Knights played host to the Plymouth Whalers. The arena, located in downtown London, is the largest in Western Ontario. Tickets for the 2005–06 season in the building sold out in one day, and there is currently a cap on season tickets due to the team's popularity.
See also
References
- ↑ MacLeod, Rex (February 5, 1966). "Nats' inexperience evident, but club directors optimistic". The Globe and Mail.
- ↑ "Howard Darwin founded Knights". Toronto Sun. October 23, 2009. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
- ↑ London Free Press
- ↑ "London Knights logo 2001". hockeydb.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008.
- ↑ "Longest Undefeated Streak". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2006.
- ↑ "Hunter steps down as Capitals coach". May 14, 2012. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016.
- ↑ "Game Summary 19140". May 15, 2013. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Knights to host 2014 Memorial Cup". May 14, 2013. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013.
- ↑ "Leafs name Mark Hunter new director of player personnel". CBC.ca. October 21, 2014. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014.
- ↑ ". . . worst of times: Only nine years removed from 3-60-3". Archived from the original on November 28, 2004. Retrieved April 15, 2006.
- ↑ "Knights Extend Historic Streak in 2022 NHL Draft". London Knights. July 7, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- 1 2 Varley, Kristylee (June 29, 2023). "Bonk and Cowan selected in first round of NHL draft". CTV News / CTV London. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ↑ Sadler, Emily (October 19, 2018). "How Dale, Mark Hunter turned London Knights into a CHL powerhouse". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved November 29, 2019.