London Nationals | |
---|---|
City | London, Ontario |
League | Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League |
Conference | Western Conference |
Founded | 1950 |
Home arena | Western Fair District Sports Centre |
Colours | Blue, white, and black |
Owner(s) | Paul Duarte |
General manager | Tony Mandarelli |
Head coach | Brian McAllister |
Website | https://nationals.gojhl.ca/ |
Franchise history | |
1950–1958 | London Lou Ball Juniors |
1958–1960 | London Diamonds |
1960–1961 | London Athletics |
1961–1965 | London Nationals |
1965–1966 | Ingersoll Nationals |
1966–1967 | London Bees |
1969–1973 | London Squires |
1973–1976 | London-Glencoe Squires |
1976–1991 | London Diamonds |
1991–present | London Nationals |
Championships | |
Playoff championships | Sutherland Cup Champions: 2013 WOC Champions: 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 WOJHL Champions: 1981,1983,1984,1992 WJBHL Champions: 1964,1965 Big 10 West Champions: 1952 |
The London Nationals are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in London, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Paul Duarte is the current owner of the London Nationals. The general manager and head coach is Pat Powers. The Nationals play their home games at the Western Fair Sports Centre. The arena's seating capacity is 1,800, and features an international-sized ice surface measuring 100' X 200'.
The team's life began in 1950, playing in The Big '10' Western Division out of the Ontario Arena at the Western Fair grounds. They won the Western Division title in 1952 as the London Lou Ball Juniors, after sponsor Lou Ball's clothing store. In 1956 the 'Big 10' was divided, and London became a member of the Western Ontario Junior "B" Hockey League.
Consistent representation of the city of London at the Jr. B level began in 1950 with the London Lou Ball Juniors, playing in The 'Big 10' Western Division out of the Ontario Arena at the Western Fairgrounds. The team was named after Lou Ball Clothes, which were stores owned by coach Lou Ball, and they won the championship the following season. The team was known as the London Collinson Flyers during the 1955–56 season before reverting to Lou Ball Juniors for 2 more seasons. The name changed to London Diamonds in 1958, then to Athletics in 1960. In 1961 the team was renamed again. They were called the Nationals, after sponsor Canadian National Recreation Association, an organization of Canadian National Railways employees.
In 1963 the Toronto Maple Leafs began sponsoring the Nationals. The Maple Leafs traditionally had affiliations with the Toronto Marlboros and St. Michael's Majors, however with the withdrawal of the Majors from the OHA, and the collapse of the Metro Junior A League, the Leafs were left with only one team. They decided to sponsor the junior team in London, which they wanted to play at the new London Gardens and be promoted to the Ontario Hockey Association.
The OHA initially balked at the proposition however, and so the Nationals continued to play in the Junior B league, winning the London Free Press Trophy as league champions in 1964 and 1965. For the 1965–66 season, the team was finally admitted to major junior hockey, and London's Junior B franchise moved to Ingersoll to make room for the Junior A Nationals. The Junior A team was renamed as London Knights in 1968, and the Nationals name disappeared from the London sports landscape.
The Junior B team returned to London under the name Bees for the 1966–1967 season, but then fell dormant for two seasons. The team was revived in 1969 as the Squires, and played under that name until 1976. The team was then known as the Diamonds from 1976–1991, before the Nationals name was revived after a long-lasting sponsorship with a diamond jeweler dissolved.
The team's time under the Diamonds name was successful, as they claimed the Western Ontario Hockey League title in 1981, 1983, and 1984.
The next change came when Kent Phibbs purchased the team and changed the name back to the London Nationals, and they won the Western Jr. B championship that same year. The team uniforms were once again the blue and white of the Maple Leafs and the team remained at Nichols Arena for a few years.
Mr. Phibbs now moved the team back to the Gardens. In the summer of 1998, the team was sold again, this time to the Doug Tarry Group (London Knights). The team remained playing at the same arena, but the name had changed to the London Ice House. The team colors and logo were changed to eggplant and teal to match the affiliate and the team still played at the London Ice House. The team's most recent championship came in 2019 (4th straight) as Western Conference Champions.
In 2013, the Nationals defeated the Cambridge Winterhawks to win their first-ever Sutherland Cup. The Nationals appeared in back-to-back Sutherland Cups in 2016 & 2017, and again in 2019.
In 2020, the Nationals marked their 70th anniversary as a Jr. B franchise in London.
Sutherland Cup
Bill Weir Trophy
Western Ontario Junior B Champions
Western Junior B Champions
Season-by-season results
Playoffs
Sutherland Cup appearances
PlayersRetired numbers
NHL alumniList of alumni who also played in the National Hockey League.
AwardsGOJHL Western Conference
Team records
ArenasOntario Arena, 1950–1963
Original home of the London Nationals. Built on the property of the Western Fair. London Gardens/London Ice House, 1976–2001
The London Gardens (see article) was built in 1963 and served as the home of the Nationals from 1963 to its closing in 2001. The building was renamed London Ice House in 1994. The arena is currently home to the Forest City Velodrome. Ray Lanctin Arena (Medway Arena), 2002–2005
Medway Arena was renovated in 2009 after being built in 1967. Renovations include updates to the community centre, flooring and rink boards. Winter skating programs and events run throughout the winter season, and arena pad is available for lacrosse during the summer season. This facility is also equipped with a hall and kitchenette, perfect for private rentals.. Western Fair Sports Centre, 2006–present
The Sports Centre at Western Fair District is a state-of-the-art 160,000 square foot multi-use facility known as a leader amongst the many ice facilities available in London and Ontario. Other arenas
Uniforms and logosThe original London Nationals were modelled off their parent club, the Toronto Maple Leafs up until the change to the London Knights. The team's logo was the same Leaf as used by the parent club at the time, except with the words "London Nationals" written out across the leaf instead of "Toronto Maple Leafs" The team over went numerous logo and uniform changes with sponsors including Chester Pegg & Phibbs Incorporated. The team adopted similar colours to the Knights (Eggplant & teal) in the 1990s to look more like their Jr A affiliate. The Knight's move to more modern colours in 2002 brought the Nationals' look back to the familiar blue & white look. Today's uniforms mimic the Maple Leafs look, adopting a blue, white & black colour scheme. In 2015, the Nationals adopted a black alternate jerseys with the team's crest logo. MascotThe Nationals' mascot is now known as "Lou", a tribute to the Lou Ball Juniors, a Jr. B team which played out of the Ontario Arena at the Western Fairgrounds beginning in 1950. The winning name was submitted in a "Name The Mascot" contest. Lou made his first appearance in 2012. Related Research ArticlesThe Ontario Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–20. There are currently 20 teams in the OHL: seventeen in Ontario, two in Michigan, and one in Pennsylvania. The Toronto St. Michael's Majors were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The most recent franchise was revived on August 15, 1996. In 2007, the team relocated to Mississauga, Ontario and became the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors until 2012. The hockey program was founded and operated by St. Michael's College School in 1906, and adopted the name "Majors" in 1934, and was commonly referred to as St. Mike's Majors. The Niagara Falls Flyers were two junior ice hockey franchises that played in the top tier in the Ontario Hockey Association. The first, a Junior "A" team existed from 1960 until 1972, and the second in Tier I Junior "A" from 1976 until 1982. The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was an ice hockey franchise in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 1903, it operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Hockey League. The Marlboros were a farm team to the Toronto Maple Leafs and one of the dominant junior teams in history, winning seven Memorial Cup championships. The senior team competed for the Stanley Cup in 1904, and won the Allan Cup in 1950. After decline from the late 1970s, the sale of the franchise, and a move away from Toronto, it became the Guelph Storm in 1991. The Whitby Dunlops are a Canadian senior ice hockey team in the team in the Allan Cup Hockey league. The team began play in 2004, and is on a leave of absence as of the 2020–21 season. The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the OHF include the Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Northwestern Ontario. The OHA controls three tiers of junior hockey; the "Tier 2 Junior "A", Junior "B", Junior "C", and one senior hockey league, Allan Cup Hockey. The J. Ross Robertson Cup is a Canadian ice hockey trophy. It is awarded annually in junior ice hockey to the champion of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. It was donated by John Ross Robertson to the Ontario Hockey Association in 1910, and is the third of three similarly named trophies he established. His other eponymous trophies for the OHA include, the J. Ross Robertson Cup awarded to the annual champions of Allan Cup Hockey, and the J. Ross Robertson Cup which was awarded to the annual champions of the discontinued intermediate division. The Kingston Frontenacs are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The Frontenacs play home games at Slush Puppie Place, which opened in 2008. The Metro Junior "A" Hockey League was a junior level ice hockey league based out of Southern Ontario. The league originated in 1956 as the Metro Junior "B" Hockey League, which lasted until 1991, when it changed its designation from Junior B to Junior A. It remained a Jr. A league from 1991 until 1998 when it was absorbed by the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. The Chatham Memorial Arena is an ice hockey arena located in Chatham, Ontario, Canada built in 1949. The arena seats approximately 2,500 spectators and is the home to the Chatham Maroons of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Located in a residential area on the south side of Chatham, the Memorial Arena has seen numerous renovations in the past ten years, the most recent addition being the installation of a larger, more modern score clock as well as improved lighting. The Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1940 to 1942, and 1947 to 1960. The team was often known as the "Biltmores" and sponsored by the Guelph Biltmore Hat Company, and played home games at the Guelph Memorial Gardens. In 1970, the Junior A level was divided into two more levels, Tier I and Tier II. In 1974, the "Major Junior A" division of the OHA became the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) and began to operate independently of the OHA. Finally in 1980, the OMJHL became the Ontario Hockey League. The Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League was a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey that lasted from the late 1960s until 1977 in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league was swallowed by what is now called the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League in 1977. The Cambridge Winter Hawks were a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Stratford Warriors are a junior ice hockey team based in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. The team was originally named the Warriors but was changed to Cullitons in 1975 in honour of the team sponsor the Culliton brothers. The sponsorship from the Culliton brothers ended in 2016, bringing the name "Warriors" back to the city. The Toronto Native Sons were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1933 until 1942. They played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Prior to moving up to the OHA, the team played in the Toronto Junior Hockey League and were coached by Harold Cotton. The Native Sons were league finalists in 1938–39 for the J. Ross Robertson Cup, losing in three games to the Oshawa Generals. The 1997–98 OHL season was the 18th season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Toronto St. Michael's Majors name was reactivated when they are awarded a franchise, to play in the east division. The Detroit Whalers became the Plymouth Whalers. Eighteen teams each played 66 games. The Guelph Storm won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Ottawa 67's. The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league based in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association, Ontario Hockey Federation, and Hockey Canada. The league is considered Junior B by the OHA, although it has attempted several times to be promoted to Junior A. In Ottawa, Canada, ice hockey clubs date back to the first decade of recorded organized ice hockey play. The men's senior-level Ottawa Hockey Club is known to have played in a Canadian championship in 1884. Today, Ottawa hockey clubs are represented in all age brackets, in both men's and women's, in amateur and professional. The Grimsby Peach Kings are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team from Grimsby, Ontario and play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League. ReferencesExternal links |