London Knights

For the ice hockey team in London, United Kingdom, see London Knights (UK).

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.londonknights.com
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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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 sixteen division titles.

Memorial Cup (CHL champions) 2004–05 Champions vs. Rimouski Océanic 2011–12 Lost to Shawinigan Cataractes 2012–13 Finished 3rd place 2013–14 Finished 4th place 2015–16 Champions vs. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies J. Ross Robertson Cup (OHL champions) 1976–77 Lost to Ottawa 67's 1998–99 Lost to Belleville Bulls 2004–05 Champions vs. Ottawa 67's 2005–06 Lost to Peterborough Petes 2011–12 Champions vs. Niagara IceDogs 2012–13 Champions vs. Barrie Colts 2015–16 Champions vs. Niagara IceDogs 2022–23 Lost to Peterborough Petes Hamilton Spectator Trophy (Most points in regular reason) 2003–04 – 110 points – 53–11–2–2 2004–05 – 120 points – 59–7–2–0 2005–06 – 102 points – 49–15–1–3 2006–07 – 104 points – 50–14–1–3 2011–12 – 99 points – 49–18–0–1 2012–13 – 105 points – 50–13–2–3 2023-24 - 104 points — 50-14-1-3

Wayne Gretzky Trophy (Western Conference champions) 1998–99 2004–05 2005–06 2011–12 2012–13 2015–16 2022-23 Division trophies 1977–78 – Emms Division 1989–90 – Emms Division 1997–98 – West Division 2003–04 – Midwest Division 2004–05 – Midwest Division 2005–06 – Midwest Division 2006–07 – Midwest Division 2008–09 – Midwest Division 2009–10 – Midwest Division 2011–12 – Midwest Division 2012–13 – Midwest Division 2018–19 – Midwest Division 2019–20 – Midwest Division 2021–22 – Midwest Division 2022–23 – Midwest Division 2023–24 – Midwest Division

Awards

Canadian Hockey League

CHL Player of the Year 1981–82 – Dave Simpson 1993–94 – Jason Allison 2015–16 – Mitch Marner Ed Chynoweth Trophy Top Scorer at the Memorial Cup 2016 - Mitch Marner George Parsons Trophy Most Sportsmanlike Player at the Memorial Cup 2013 – Bo Horvat Hap Emms Memorial Trophy Outstanding Goaltender at the Memorial Cup 2005 – Adam Dennis 2016 - Tyler Parsons Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy Most Valuable Player at the Memorial Cup 2005 – Corey Perry 2016 – Mitch Marner

Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award 2003–04 – Dale Hunter CHL Executive of the Year 1997–98 – Paul McIntosh CHL Defenceman of the Year 2004–05 – Danny Syvret CHL Goaltender of the Year 2011–12 – Michael Houser CHL Humanitarian of the Year 1997–98 – Jason Metcalfe CHL Rookie of the Year 2006–07 – Patrick Kane CHL Top Draft Prospect Award 2006–07 – Patrick Kane 2008–09 – John Tavares CHL Top Scorer Award 1993–94 – Jason Allison 2006–07 – Patrick Kane

Ontario Hockey League

Bobby Smith Trophy Scholastic Player of the Year 1981–82 – Dave Simpson Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy Humanitarian of the Year 1998 – Jason Metcalfe Dave Pinkney Trophy Lowest Team G.A.A. 2003–04 – Ryan MacDonald & Gerald Coleman 2004–05 – Adam Dennis & Gerald Coleman 2015–16 – Brendan Burke & Tyler Parsons Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy Top Scorer 1981–82 – Dave Simpson 1993–94 – Jason Allison 2004–05 – Corey Perry 2005–06 – Rob Schremp 2006–07 – Patrick Kane 2008–09 – John Tavares Emms Family Award Rookie of the Year 1972–73 – Dennis Maruk 1987–88 – Rick Corriveau 2000–01 – Rick Nash 2006–07 – Patrick Kane F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy Lowest G.A.A. among Rookie Goaltenders 1976–77 – Barry Heard 1989–90 – Sean Basilio 2003–04 – Ryan MacDonald 2017–18 – Jordan Kooy 2019–20 – Brett Brochu 2022–23 – Zach Bowen Jack Ferguson Award Top Draft Pick 1996 – Rico Fata Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy Highest Scoring Right Winger 1972–73 – Dennis Ververgaert 1977–78 – Dino Ciccarelli 1997–98 – Maxim Spiridonov 2003–04 – Corey Perry 2004–05 – Corey Perry 2005–06 – Dave Bolland 2006–07 – Patrick Kane 2012–13 – Seth Griffith 2014–15 – Mitch Marner

Matt Leyden Trophy Coach of the Year 1976–77 – Bill Long 1992–93 – Gary Agnew 1997–98 – Gary Agnew 2003–04 – Dale Hunter 2004–05 – Dale Hunter 2009–10 – Dale Hunter Max Kaminsky Trophy Most Outstanding Defenseman 1975–76 – Rick Green 1977–78 – Brad Marsh and Rob Ramage 1984–85 – Bob Halkidis 1999–00 – John Erskine 2004–05 – Danny Syvret 2018–19 – Evan Bouchard Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy Team Captain that Best Exemplifies Leadership 2014-15 – Max Domi OHL Executive of the Year 1997–98 – Paul McIntosh 2003–04 – Mark Hunter OHL Goaltender of the Year 2005–06 – Adam Dennis 2006–07 – Steve Mason 2011–12 – Michael Houser Red Tilson Trophy Most Outstanding Player 1974–75 – Dennis Maruk 1981–82 – Dave Simpson 1993–94 – Jason Allison 2004–05 – Corey Perry 2011–12 – Michael Houser 2015–16 – Mitch Marner Roger Neilson Memorial Award Top Academic College/University Player 2007–08 – Scott Aarssen Wayne Gretzky 99 Award Playoffs MVP 2005 – Corey Perry 2012 – Austin Watson 2013 – Bo Horvat 2016 – Mitch Marner William Hanley Trophy Most Sportsmanlike Player 1981–82 – Dave Simpson 1993–94 – Jason Allison

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

London Nationals

• Jim Blain
• Barry Boughner
• Bob Cook
• Jim Dorey
• Darryl Edestrand
• Rocky Farr
• John Gould
• Brent Imlach
• Rick Kessell
• Rick MacLeish
• Brian Marchinko
• Walt McKechnie
• Brian Murphy
• Randy Murray
• Ted Ouimet
• Glen Shirton
• Darryl Sittler
• Jim Stanfield
• Garry Unger
• Bert Wilson

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:^{[ citation needed ]}

• 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:^{[ citation needed ]}

• 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.^{[ citation needed ]}

• Dino Ciccarelli
• Brendan Shanahan
• Darryl Sittler

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
2023–24	68	50	14	-	1	3	104	0.765	322	197	1st Midwest

Notes

1. The London Knights automatically qualified for the 2014 Memorial Cup, since they hosted the tournament.

Arenas

The John Labatt Centre.

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

See also

• List of ice hockey teams in Ontario

References

1. MacLeod, Rex (February 5, 1966). "Nats' inexperience evident, but club directors optimistic". The Globe and Mail .
2. "Howard Darwin founded Knights". Toronto Sun . October 23, 2009. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
3. London Free Press
4. "London Knights logo 2001". hockeydb.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008.
5. "Longest Undefeated Streak". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2006.
6. "Hunter steps down as Capitals coach". May 14, 2012. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016.
7. "Game Summary 19140". May 15, 2013. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016.
8. "Knights to host 2014 Memorial Cup". May 14, 2013. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013.
9. "Leafs name Mark Hunter new director of player personnel". CBC.ca. October 21, 2014. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014.
10. ". . . worst of times: Only nine years removed from 3-60-3". Archived from the original on November 28, 2004. Retrieved April 15, 2006.
11. "Knights Extend Historic Streak in 2022 NHL Draft". London Knights. July 7, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
12. Varley, Kristylee (June 29, 2023). "Bonk and Cowan selected in first round of NHL draft". CTV News / CTV London . Retrieved June 29, 2023.
13. Sadler, Emily (October 19, 2018). "How Dale, Mark Hunter turned London Knights into a CHL powerhouse". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved November 29, 2019.

External links

• Official website