London Knights

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. 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.

Brian Murphy played the most games for the Nationals, 98 in total over three seasons. Garry Unger lead the team in career goals with 42 in only 50 games. Walt McKechnie was their all-time point leader with 26 goals, and 74 assists, totalling 100 points.

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.

The Darwin era: 1968–1986

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 Nawaal Salat 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. In the early 1980s the Knights descended to a nadir in franchise history, with small crowds and a poor record. However, right winger Brendan Shanahan would soon rise to prominence and help to draw larger crowds.

New Owners, new dawn: 1986–1994

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 modernized the team's logo 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.

"Knightmare" and redemption: 1994–2000

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 uniforms from traditional green and gold to eggplant and teal, and changing the logo to a cartoon logo instantly and derisively nicknamed "Spiderknight" by the faithful.

The Knights' 1995–96 OHL season went down in history as the worst in the history of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights set a new record for futility by finishing with 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.

The Hunter era: 2000–present

In 2000, former NHL players Dale Hunter and Mark Hunter 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 multi-purpose entertainment centre and arena – Budweiser Gardens (formerly the John Labatt Centre (The JLC)). 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 as a treat for their fans, the Knights changed back to their 1986–94 green and gold uniforms in February 2002. In October that year the Budweiser Gardens opened, and new, modernized versions of the old green and gold uniforms 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). 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 hockey phenom and 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 got 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 take head coaching position with his former 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, that he would not return to coach the Capitals in the 2012-2013 season, choosing instead to return to the London Knights.

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. 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 subsequently lost to the Portland Winterhawks 2-1 in the semifinal.

London finished the 2013-14 OHL season third in the league 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. Faced with stiff competition, the Knights finished last in the round robin and were eliminated from the tournament.

On October 21, 2014, Mark Hunter stepped down as General Manager of the London Knights upon being appointed Director of Player Personnel for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Basil McRae succeeded Mark Hunter as GM, though Hunter retained his ownership interest in the Knights and continued as Vice President of the team.

2014-15 was a rebuilding season for the London 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 OHL 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 seventeenth straight win and second Memorial Cup championship.

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. Former NHLer, Dave Gagner left the team during the summer of 2008 to accept a position with the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL.

As London Nationals:

1965–1966 — Jack McIntyre

1966–1968 — Turk Broda

As London Knights:

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.

NHL/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

Italics denote played in NHL in 2015-16

First-rounders in NHL/WHA entry draft

The London Knights have produced more first overall selections in the NHL Entry Draft (5) than any other team in the world. The Knights also produced one first overall selection in the 1977 WHA Amateur Draft. London is also ranked third (behind Peterborough and Oshawa) on the all-time list of number of players drafted by the NHL, with 142 as of 2007.¹

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 Calgary 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

Mitchell 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

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

5 – Rob Ramage

8 – Dino Ciccarelli

9 – Darryl Sittler

19 – Brendan Shanahan

22 – Brad Marsh

61 – Rick Nash

91 – Dave Bolland

94 – Corey Perry

Hall of Famers

Dino Ciccarelli

Brendan Shanahan

Darryl Sittler

300 point club

The following players recorded a minimum of 300 career points in a Knights' uniform:

Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

¹ Dave Simpson recorded the best single season in Knights' history, when he scored 155 points in 1981–82.

Regular season

1965 to 1968 as London Nationals

1968 to present as London Knights

Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shoot Out Loss

Playoffs

1965–66 Out of playoffs.

1966–67 Lost to Niagara Falls Flyers 8 points to 4 in quarterfinals.

1967–68 Lost to Hamilton Red Wings 8 points to 2 in quarterfinals.

1968–69 Lost to Peterborough Petes 8 points to 4 in quarterfinals.

1969–70 Defeated Peterborough Petes 8 points to 4 in quarterfinals. Lost to Toronto Marlboros 9 points to 3 in semifinals.

1970–71 Lost to Montreal Junior Canadiens 8 points to 0 in quarterfinals.

1971–72 Lost to Ottawa 67's 8 points to 6 in quarterfinals.

1972–73 Defeated Kitchener Rangers 8 points to 0 in quarterfinals. Lost to Peterborough Petes 9 points to 5 in semifinals.

1973–74 Lost to Toronto Marlboros 9 points to 1 in quarterfinals.

1974–75 Out of playoffs.

1975–76 Lost to Toronto Marlboros 8 points to 2 in quarterfinals.

1976–77 Defeated Toronto Marlboros 9 points to 3 in quarterfinals.
Defeated St. Catharines Fincups 9 points to 7 in semifinals.
Lost to Ottawa 67's 8 points to 4 in finals.

1977–78 Defeated Kitchener Rangers 8 points to 0 in quarterfinals.
Lost to Hamilton Fincups 9 points to 5 in semifinals.

1978–79 Defeated Windsor Spitfires in first round – series protested.
Lost to Niagara Falls Flyers in round-robin.

1979–80 Lost to Niagara Falls Flyers 6 points to 4 in first round.

1980–81 Out of playoffs.

1981–82 Lost to Brantford Alexanders 6 points to 2 in first round.

1982–83 Lost to Brantford Alexanders 6 points to 0 in first round.

1983–84 Defeated North Bay Centennials 6 points to 2 in first round.
Lost to Kitchener Rangers 8 points to 0 in quarterfinals.

1984–85 Defeated Windsor Spitfires 8 points to 0 in first round.
Lost to Hamilton Steelhawks 6 points to 2 in quarterfinals.

1985–86 Lost to North Bay Centennials 9 points to 1 in first round.

1986–87 Out of playoffs.

1987–88 Defeated Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 2 in first round.
Lost to Hamilton Steelhawks 4 games to 2 in quarterfinals.

1988–89 Defeated Guelph Platers 4 games to 3 in first round.
Defeated North Bay Centennials 4 games to 3 in quarterfinals.
Lost to Niagara Falls Thunder 4 games to 3 in semifinals.

1989–90 Lost to Niagara Falls Thunder 4 games to 2 in first round.

1990–91 Lost to Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 3 in first round.

1991–92 Defeated Owen Sound Platers 4 games to 1 in first round.
Lost to Niagara Falls Thunder 4 games to 1 in quarterfinals.

1992–93 Defeated Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 3 in first round.
Lost to Detroit Jr. Red Wings 4 games to 1 in quarterfinals.

1993–94 Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 1 in first round.

1994–95 Lost to Detroit Jr. Red Wings 4 games to 0 in first round.

1995–96 Out of playoffs.

1996–97 Out of playoffs.

1997–98 Defeated Erie Otters 4 games to 3 in first round.
Defeated Kingston Frontenacs 4 games to 1 in quarterfinals.
Lost to Ottawa 67's 4 games to 0 in semifinals.

1998–99 Defeated Sarnia Sting 4 games to 2 in first round.
Defeated Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 3 in quarterfinals.
Defeated Owen Sound Platers 4 games to 1 in semifinals.
Lost to Belleville Bulls 4 games to 3 in finals.

1999–2000 Out of playoffs.

2000–01 Lost to Erie Otters 4 games to 1 in first round.

2001–02 Defeated Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 2 in first round.
Lost to Erie Otters 4 games to 2 in quarterfinals.

2002–03 Defeated Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 3 in first round.
Lost to Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 2 in quarterfinals.

2003–04 Defeated Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 0 in first round.
Defeated Erie Otters 4 games to 0 in quarterfinals.
Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 3 in semifinals.

2004–05 Defeated Guelph Storm 4 games to 0 in first round.
Defeated Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 0 in quarterfinals.
Defeated Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 1 in semifinals.
Defeated Ottawa 67's 4 games to 1 in finals. OHL CHAMPIONS
Finished Memorial Cup round-robin in first place.
Defeated Rimouski Océanic 4–0 in the championship game. MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS

2005–06 Defeated Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 0 in first round.
Defeated Owen Sound Attack 4 games to 2 in quarterfinals.
Defeated Guelph Storm 4 games to 1 in semifinals. Lost to Peterborough Petes 4 games to 0 in finals.

2006–07 Defeated Owen Sound Attack 4 games to 0 in first round. Defeated Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 3 in quarterfinals. Lost to Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 1 in semifinals.

2007–08 Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 1 in first round.

2008–09 Defeated Erie Otters 4 games to 1 in first round. Defeated Saginaw Spirit 4 games to 0 in quarterfinals. Lost to Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 1 in semifinals.

2009–10 Defeated Guelph Storm 4 games to 1 in first round. Lost to Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 3 in quarterfinals.

2010–11 Lost to Owen Sound Attack 4 games to 2 in first round.

2011–12 Defeated Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 0 in first round. Defeated Saginaw Spirit 4 games to 2 in quarterfinals. Defeated Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 0 in semifinals.
Defeated Niagara IceDogs 4 games to 1 in finals. OHL CHAMPIONS
Finished Memorial Cup round-robin in first place.
Lost to Shawinigan Cataractes 2–1 (OT) in the championship game.

2012–13 Defeated Saginaw Spirit 4 games to 0 in first round. Defeated Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 1 in quarterfinals. Defeated Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 1 in semifinals. Defeated Barrie Colts 4 games to 3 in finals. OHL CHAMPIONS
Finished Memorial Cup round-robin in third place.
Defeated Saskatoon Blades 6-1 in the tiebreaker game.
Lost to Portland Winterhawks 2-1 in the semifinal game.

2013-14 Defeated Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 0 in first round. Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 1 in quarterfinals. Gain entrance to 2014 Memorial Cup as host team. Finished Memorial Cup round-robin in fourth place.

2014-15 Defeated Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 2 in first round. Lost to Erie Otters 4 games to 0 in quarterfinals.

2015-16 Defeated Owen Sound Attack 4 games to 2 in first round. Defeated Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 0 in quarterfinals. Defeated Erie Otters 4 games to 0 in semifinals. Defeated Niagara IceDogs 4-0 in finals. OHL CHAMPIONS
Finished Memorial Cup round-robin in first place.
Defeated Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 3-2 (OT) in the championship game. MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS

Uniforms and logos

As the London Nationals, the Knights originally played in the blue and white of the Toronto Maple Leafs. 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". After 1968, the colours changed to green, gold and white, and the logo to a classically inspired Knight's head with an Old English "K" on the helmet. In 1980 the striping changed slightly, from classical horizontal stripes around the sleeves and bottom of the sweater to large arm stripes and a bare sweater bottom. In 1985–86 the green on the uniforms was darkened and the arm stripes were deleted in favour of broad swathes of secondary colour across the shoulders and down the arms. 1986 saw a total re-design of sweater and logo. Black was added as a secondary colour and the striping returned to a more pedestrian design. The logo was also changed, from a classical Knight's head to a more modernized version on a gold circle with the letter "L". These uniforms were used until 1994. In 1994 the green and gold were disposed of completely in favour of the eggplant and teal used by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The logo was changed to "Spiderknight", with normal horizontal striping and pointed shoulder stripes. There was also a teal shoulder patch bearing the word "London" and a hockey stick. In February 2002, the Knights reverted to their 1986–94 uniforms as a commemoration of the closing of the London Gardens. The special uniforms were identical except for two shoulder patches, one bearing the 1968–86 logo and the other bearing the 1994–2002 logo. These uniforms were also used for the 2002–03 preseason. For the opening of the John Labatt Centre in October 2002, the Knights debuted new uniforms with the 1986–94 logo, minus the "L" and the gold circle. These were drawn on a home white uniform and a road uniform that, for the first time in team history, bore black as its primary colour. Each uniform also bore a new "shield" shoulder patch. The team also debuted green third jerseys, which featured the word "KNIGHTS" printed diagonally across the front of the sweater.

London Gardens/London Ice House, 1965–2002

Built : 1963

Capacity : 5,075 including standing room.

Ice Size : 190' x 85'

The London Gardens (see article) 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 last meaningful 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 last goal in the building was scored by Carlo Colaiacovo. 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 arena is currently home to the Forest City Velodrome.

The OHL Arena & Travel Guide – London Gardens

Budweiser Gardens, 2002–present

Built : 2002

Capacity : 9,046 including standing room.

Ice Size : 200' x 85'

The Budweiser Gardens opened on October 11, 2002 as the Knights played host to the Plymouth Whalers. The first goal in the building was scored by Dylan Hunter. 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

The OHL Arena & Travel Guide – Budweiser Gardense