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25-752: Niagara Falls became home to its third OHL franchise in 1988 upon the relocation of the Hamilton Steelhawks . The new team was named the Niagara Falls Thunder. The team filled the void left behind when the Niagara Falls Flyers departed for North Bay in 1982. The Thunder picked up on the winning note of the Steelhawks' last season in Hamilton. Coach Bill LaForge returned with a strong core of players that lead

50-667: 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. 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. In 1968, businessman Howard Darwin bought

75-552: A goal by Matthew Tkachuk earned the Knights their 17th-straight win and second Memorial Cup championship. On July 6, 2016, McRae stepped down as general manager of the London Knights to become the director of player personnel for the Columbus Blue Jackets . He was replaced by former assistant general manager and former assistant coach of the London Knights, Rob Simpson. The Knights subsequently finished

100-513: 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

125-690: The 2016–17 OHL season third in the Midwest. In the playoffs, they defeated the Windsor Spitfires in seven games before falling to the Erie Otters in seven games in the second round. Having resigned from his role with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mark Hunter returned as general manager of the London Knights on August 10, 2018, with Rob Simpson returning to his former role as assistant general manager. The London Knights have won

150-661: The Cape Breton Oilers of the AHL. He won the Calder Cup with the team in 1992–93. The team never regained its strength of the first four seasons. After three poor seasons on the ice from 1992–93 to 1994–95, game attendance was dropping. This, combined with rescheduling of Sunday games to Saturday nights, and an aging arena with no new arena deal in sight, resulted in the Thunder moving to Erie, Pennsylvania , to play as

175-548: The Memorial Cup tournament two times, won the J. Ross Robertson Cup five times, won the Western Conference eight times, and have won sixteen division titles. Memorial Cup ( CHL champions ) J. Ross Robertson Cup ( OHL champions ) Hamilton Spectator Trophy ( Most points in regular reason ) Wayne Gretzky Trophy ( Western Conference champions ) Division trophies CHL Player of

200-691: The Ontario Hockey League from 1984 to 1988. The team was based in Hamilton, Ontario , and played at Copps Coliseum . The Brantford Alexanders were relocated in 1984 becoming the Hamilton Steelhawks. The franchise which started in Hamilton in 1953, twice left Hamilton for lack of an adequate arena but returned for the opening of Copps Coliseum. However the team was not well-supported, and played for only four seasons in Hamilton before moving to Niagara Falls, Ontario to play as

225-577: The 2004–05 London Knights were named the CHL's "Team of the Century". 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. The Knights capped their OHL season with a 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

250-538: The Knights from Doug Tarry Jr. 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 Knights finished

275-516: The Knights' second consecutive J. Ross Robertson Cup . 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

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300-561: 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. In 1986 Howard Darwin sold the Knights and the arena to Paris, Ontario businessmen Jack Robillard, Al Martin and Bob Willson. In 1994 the Knights were sold to St. Thomas, Ontario , real estate developer Doug Tarry Sr. He died before

325-650: The Otters. George Burnett was voted the OHL Coach of the Year in the 1990–91 and 1991–92 seasons, winning the Matt Leyden Trophy in only his first and second full seasons as a head coach in the OHL. Peterborough The Niagara Falls Thunder played home games at Niagara Falls Memorial Arena from 1988 to 1996. Hamilton Steelhawks (junior) The Hamilton Steelhawks were a junior ice hockey team in

350-614: The Steelhawks, and was the co-winner 1986–87 William Hanley Trophy as the OHA's Most Sportsmanlike Player. The team was owned by Jack Robillard, Bob Willson and Al Martin, who also owned the London Knights . The Hamilton Steelhawks played home games at Mountain Arena for 1984–85 and then moved to Copps Coliseum in December 1985 as the arena was not ready in time for the start of the season . The annual OHL / QMJHL All-Star game

375-455: 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. On October 21, 2014, Mark Hunter resigned as Knights general manager after being appointed director of player personnel for the Toronto Maple Leafs . The Knights entered

400-440: The Thunder. The Steelhawks name was chosen to reflect the steel industry in Hamilton. The modernized name and logo was designed to catch on with a young fan base as well. The team enjoyed three successful playoff runs, although they never made a trip to the league finals. Notable alumni are NHL stars Shayne Corson , Keith Primeau and NHL tough guy Bob Probert . Wayne Gretzky 's younger brother Keith Gretzky also played for

425-948: The Year CHL Goaltender of the Year CHL Humanitarian of the Year CHL Rookie of the Year CHL Top Draft Prospect Award CHL Top Scorer Award Bobby Smith Trophy Scholastic Player of the Year Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy Humanitarian of the Year Dave Pinkney Trophy Lowest Team G.A.A. Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy Top Scorer Emms Family Award Rookie of

450-1108: The Year Ed Chynoweth Trophy Top Scorer at the Memorial Cup George Parsons Trophy Most Sportsmanlike Player at the Memorial Cup Hap Emms Memorial Trophy Outstanding Goaltender at the Memorial Cup Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy Most Valuable Player at the Memorial Cup Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award CHL Executive of the Year CHL Defenceman of

475-501: The fans for perhaps costing the team a chance of the Memorial Cup in 1989. The Thunder hired the younger and up-and-coming Oshawa Generals ' assistant coach George Burnett to take over. The team rallied from out of the playoffs to 6th place. Niagara Falls continued its momentum into the third round of the playoffs knocking off the first place London Knights before losing to the Kitchener Rangers . The Thunder finished

500-460: The next two seasons in second place, and made it to the third round of the playoffs both years, a feat they managed four years in a row. Coach Burnett was voted Coach of the Year for 1990–91 and 1991–92. Both years their playoff nemesis, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds , eliminated them in the semi-finals. Many players graduated in 1992 for professional careers, and Coach Burnett was promoted to

525-544: 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

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550-657: The series 4–1 to win their first J. Ross Robertson Cup , ending the longest championship drought in the CHL. The London Knights qualified for the 2005 Memorial Cup both as OHL Champion and the tournament host. In the tournament round robin, they defeated the Rimouski Océanic 4–3, the Kelowna Rockets 4–2, and the Ottawa 67's 5–2. This earned the Knights a bye into the championship game in which they defeated Rimouski 4–0 to win their first Memorial Cup. In 2018,

575-598: 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 ". In 2000, former NHL players Dale Hunter , Mark Hunter , and Basil McRae bought

600-480: The team to a second-place finish in 1988–89. Niagara Falls reached the OHL finals the first year in their new home city, losing to the Peterborough Petes . Many players graduated from the OHL after that season and the Thunder began to rebuild for 1989–90. Shortly into the season, growing tensions between team owner Rick Gay and coach Bill LaForge led to the coach being fired. LaForge was never forgiven by

625-563: Was played here in 1988. . London Knights 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. The London Nationals were granted

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