The London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League are well-recognized for being a machine that churns out top level talent at one of the most impressive clips of all Canadian Hockey League teams. They tout themselves as the Mini-NHL and it is not without good reason. When looking just at the 24 active skaters on their current roster (never mind the rest of their track record on this front throughout the rest of the 21st century), 8 of them have already been drafted by NHL teams, including two first-rounders in the form of F Easton Cowan (Toronto, 28th overall, 2023 NHL Entry Draft) and D Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia, 22nd overall, 2023). One more skater, D Sam Dickinson, is a blue chip prospect projected as top ten calibre pick in 2024 and regarded as one of the best blueliners in a deep defensive class. Their list of trophies is none too shabby, either, featuring four OHL titles and two Memorial Cups. However, this franchise actually also once experienced the absolute nadir of CHL history. Here is the story of how the Knights bottomed out in the mid-1990’s in a chaotic time that featured many decisions that angered fans – and how they gradually climbed back.

Between the 1987–88 and 1992–93 OHL seasons, the London Knights were something of a wagon. While they captured just one division title in this stretch and never qualified for the championship round, their 458 total points were a more than respectable clip. The following season, the team experienced a slight downturn, which preceded their sale by owners Jack Robillard, Al Martin, and Bob Wilson to Doug Tarry, Sr., the founder and president of St. Thomas-based real estate company Doug Tarry Homes. In an ironic twist of fate, Tarry passed away prior to the team ever playing a game under his ownership. His son Doug Tarry, Jr. would inherit the team and aggressively make even further changes (beyond the renovations it was already undergoing) to the team’s arena, including changing the name from the London Gardens to the London Ice House, and made some very unpopular changes to the color scheme, uniform, and logo. Interestingly, the eggplant-colored base jerseys adorned by “Knightro” (known colloquially as “Spidey-Knight” for his resemblance to Spider-Man) has occasionally since been wheeled out as a retro jersey, despite the disdain it was met with.

The branding of the team was the least of the worries, however. While the team performed poorly in the 1994–95 season, it hit a further low the ensuing year. The London Knights’ 1995–96 season went down as the worst campaign ever for any team not only in the OHL, but the entirety of the CHL’s three constituent leagues. Their record went down as 3-60-3 W-L-T. For context, that accounted for only 9 points and goes down as a win percentage of .068. Their goal differential was -256, as they scored just 179 and allowed a whopping 435. The next season only saw a marginal improvement, as they climbed slightly to a record of 13-51-2 and a GD of -150. All this was against the backdrop of a deteriorating Ice House, which the ownership had ceased to invest in during a wrangling with the city of London for a new arena. Under the direction of returning head coach Gary Agnew and with a much improved roster, however, the next two seasons were a drastic turnaround for London, as they won a division title in 1997–98 and went on an improbable postseason run as the third place team in the West, where they earned a berth in the OHL Championship for the first time since their inaugural appearance in 1977. They pushed the finals against the Belleville Bulls to seven games by erasing a 3-1 series deficit, and while they would fall 9-2 in the deciding game, it was arguably a true moral victory given that no one expected them to be there by any stretch of the imagination.

However, while these couple of seasons brought back something of a winning culture, it was not until there was another sale and huge organizational shakeup that the tides really began to turn. Three former NHLers, brothers Mark and Dale Hunter, as well as Basil McRae, purchased the team from the Tarry family in 2000. Effectively taking over hockey operations, the Hunters overhauled the scouting system and joined the lobby for a new, larger, state of the art facility. The realization of the dream of a new home for the Knights came true in 2002, as they debuted in the John Labatt Centre (since renamed Budweiser Gardens, it is the largest sports-entertainment center in the Southwestern Ontario region). What has occurred since can only be described as the establishment of a juggernaut. In addition to the Knights’ accolades detailed in the first paragraph, Dale Hunter has since become the second-winningest head coach in OHL history behind only Ottawa 67’s legend Brian Kilrea. Mark Hunter additionally may be the greatest executive in CHL history. As noted in his profile, two players that he drafted/recruited in the forms of Rick Nash (Columbus, 2002) and Patrick Kane (Chicago, 2007) went on to become first overall picks in the NHL Entry Draft, as did another player that he traded for in an exchange with the Oshawa Generals by way of the OHL’s first ever exceptional status player John Tavares (Islanders, 2009).

For many, the Knights being what they are is the norm, and it has been this way for a long time. However, the stark difference between the franchise they are now and the one they were almost three decades ago is worth reflecting on. The path they took in falling down and climbing back up, along with the many complex factors involved and the demonstration of the fact that even leagues with high turnover rates for players will require rebuilds from their teams at some point should put much into perspective about the relevant topics here. Major junior hockey is a business much like the NHL and its ebbs and flows can occasionally be as volatile and fascinating.