The London Ice House was an arena in London, Ontario , Canada. It was originally built in 1963 and was home to the London Knights ice hockey team from 1965 to 2002. The design was influenced by the first level of the Boston Garden , and had a capacity of approximately 5,000. The arena was originally named Treasure Island Gardens as the building was a part of the Treasure Island Plaza mall complex located in south London. For a time, the arena also included a second ice pad.
27-512: In 1994, the London Knights and the building were purchased by new owner Doug Tarry, who renamed building as the London Ice House. Tarry upgraded the building in 1994, including replacing the seats on the sides and adding more emergency exits to bring the building up to the fire code . In the years following the refurbishment, Tarry allowed the building to deteriorate as part of his lobbying
54-520: A cameo appearance in the movie The Mighty Ducks along with then-teammate Mike Modano . McRae is a part-owner of the London Knights with Dale Hunter and Mark Hunter . On October 21, 2014, the Knights announced that he would become the general manager and alternate governor of the team, replacing Mark Hunter, who had vacated the general manager position to become the director of player personnel for
81-518: 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 17th-straight win and second Memorial Cup championship. On July 6, 2016, McRae stepped down as general manager of
108-428: 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 the Knights from Doug Tarry Jr. The 2003–04 OHL season would mark
135-610: Is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is a part owner and alternate governor of the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League and he is the director of pro scouting for the Columbus Blue Jackets . McRae was known as an enforcer with over 2,000 penalty minutes in his career. McRae played his major junior hockey with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). In
162-683: 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 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
189-628: The London Nationals but changed to their current name in 1968. The Knights have won two Memorial Cup championships. 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. After three seasons, direct NHL sponsorship of junior teams ended. The team and Gardens
216-655: The 1980 NHL Entry Draft, the Quebec Nordiques drafted McRae in the third round, 87th overall. He played twenty regular season games and nine playoff matches with the big club in 1981, later spending some time with the Fredericton Express of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Richard Turmel and spent a couple of years toiling in the minors with the St. Catharines Saints of
243-647: The AHL. In 1985 McRae signed as a free agent with the Detroit Red Wings but was traded back to his original team, the Nordiques along with John Ogrodnick and Doug Shedden for Brent Ashton , Gilbert Delorme and Mark Kumpel . At the start of the 1987 season, McRae signed with the Minnesota North Stars , the team he would have the most success with. The 1987–88 season saw McRae play the whole 80 game season with
270-599: 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 the Knights' second consecutive J. Ross Robertson Cup . London finished
297-574: 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, the 2004–05 London Knights were named
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#1733086145135324-449: 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 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
351-577: 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 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
378-755: The North Stars, the first time he played a full season in the NHL. He formed a tough enforcer duo along with Shane Churla , leading the league in penalty minutes with 351 in 1990. The Tampa Bay Lightning claimed him in the 1992 NHL Expansion Draft and traded him to the St. Louis Blues in 1993. After a couple of seasons in the Blues organization, McRae signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1996 and only managed to play in eight games before retiring from professional hockey. McRae made
405-561: The Toronto Maple Leafs. McRae previously worked as a pro scout for the Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues. 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. McRae is the older brother of Chris McRae and
432-872: 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
459-994: 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
486-710: The Year F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy Lowest G.A.A. among Rookie Goaltenders Jack Ferguson Award Top Draft Pick Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy Highest Scoring Right Winger Matt Leyden Trophy Coach of the Year Max Kaminsky Trophy Most Outstanding Defenseman Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy Team Captain that Best Exemplifies Leadership OHL Executive of the Year Basil McRae Basil Paul McRae (born January 5, 1961)
513-571: The arena on April 26, 1965, but due to rioting in the audience, the show was shut down by police after only 15 minutes. After the Ice House's closure it was purchased by investors who turned it into a motocross facility called the London Motoplex; however, the investment group were not making payments during their ownership. The ownership of the building returned to the Hunter brothers afterward. Most of
540-487: 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 the season with 120 points (59 wins, 7 losses, 2 ties), breaking their own OHL record set
567-544: The city for a new arena, given that it was the only arena in the OHL without municipal assistance, and was charged taxes in excess of $ 125,000 per year by 1999. The London Knights underwent a renaissance after being purchased by Dale and Mark Hunter . The team left the Gardens/Ice House after the 2001–02 season and relocated to the newly built John Labatt Centre in Downtown London. The Rolling Stones played at
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#1733086145135594-594: The old seats and all of the hockey memorabilia was sold at auction. The 1994-era seats were purchased by the Windsor Spitfires organization, who installed them at the Windsor Arena . After 2004, a group of investors (made up of business, community, and government investment) converted the former hockey arena and motocross track into an indoor cycling track, called the Forest City Velodrome . The Forest City Velodrome Association (a non-profit organization) operates
621-709: 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
648-477: The races, clinics, and other activities at the track. 42°55′04″N 81°12′26″W / 42.917793°N 81.207214°W / 42.917793; -81.207214 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
675-743: 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 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
702-413: 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 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
729-467: 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 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
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