With the new decade now upon us, London Knights fans have the opportunity to recollect on the successes of the past 10 years: Three Ontario Hockey League championships, two Hamilton Spectator trophies, a Memorial Cup, and countless individual accolades. Below are some of the highlights of a decade to remember …
2012 OHL Champions
Entering the 2011-2012 season, the Knights were searching to return to the top of the league. The championship that had evaded them for the previous few seasons was the only goal in mind. With Mark Hunter taking over at head coach, while Dale departed for Washington, the transition from one leader to another was seamless. A total of 99 points was good enough for a first-place regular season finish, which was capped off by an incredible individual performance in net by Michael Houser.
In the playoffs, the Knights were just as spectacular. A four-game sweep of the Windsor Spitfires in the Western Conference quarterfinals showed the remarkable skill and playmaking ability found deep within the roster. The final game in the series was a resounding statement, with London putting eight goals into the Spitfires’ net. The next two series saw the Knights only lose two games en route to the OHL Championship against Niagara; a series which saw only five games before London was victorious.
2013 OHL Champions
The 2012-13 season saw the return of Dale Hunter after a successful year in Washington. Though the team began the year missing the mark, sitting just over .500 at the end of October, they began firing on all cylinders in November. From Nov. 2 to New Year’s Eve, the Knights were perfect, compiling a 24-game winning streak. The team would not lose in regulation for another two weeks, finishing their streak at 27-0-1-0. By the end of the regular season, the Knights had compiled 105 points, their third-highest total in team history.
The playoffs saw the Knights lose only two games in their first three series. In the finals, the Knights took on the Barrie Colts and the series went seven games. Trailing three games to one, London faced elimination on their home ice. Determined to go down swinging, the team fought back and won that game 6-4. An overtime Game 6 win in Barrie followed (with the winning goal scored by Ryan Rupert), and the Knights returned to London for Game 7, completing the comeback in front of a sold-out Budweiser Gardens.
2016 Memorial Cup Champions
The team that finally returned the Knights to the top of Canadian junior hockey had future household names at the helm. Mitch Marner, Matthew Tkachuk, and Victor Mete all played their roles in achieving yet another 100-plus point season for the club. Though not best in the Midwest, the team wasted no time proving that they were the best that the OHL had to offer. The Knights lost only two games through all four rounds and swept the Niagara IceDogs in the championship series. All that stood between the Knights and the summit were three teams.
The round-robin portion of the Memorial Cup tournament was no trouble, with the Knights winning all three, outscoring their opponents 20-5. The Knights earned a bye to the finals, where they faced off against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. With the score tied at two when the third period ended, Matthew Tkachuk then played the hero. The future first-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames scored a goal that put the Knights back on top in Canada for the first time in 11 years.
What may be the greatest part of these successes is that they are hardly the end of the story. The Knights are reigning Midwest division champions, they have over a half-dozen NHL draft selections on their current roster, and the team is still led by the Hunters, the sibling duo who were trusted to manage and coach the Canadian World Junior team this year. While the decade just passed will always be one that will be remembered as the golden era of the Knights, one can’t help but look forward and see a future just as bright.
By Charlie Echlin
