CREDIT: THE KNIGHTS WERE CROWNED THE MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS LAST YEAR, THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2005.
TERRY WILSON OF CHL IMAGES

Unsurprisingly, the London Knights and Erie Otters were the first teams in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) to book their ticket to the 2017 post-season (on the same day).

It was a bit of a given that both of these teams would be playing for the J. Ross Robertson Cup in early May, but now, they’re officially in. In the spirit of the playoffs coming up in March, it wouldn’t hurt to see how the Knights have done in the past. London has made the playoffs for as long as most fans can remember, and had considerable success in that time.

Let’s take a look at where the playoffs have taken the London Knights over the last few years. 2012 (won, lost in Memorial Cup finals)

Upon not winning an OHL Championship since 2005, London got back to their winning ways in 2012. On a team that featured the likes of Bo Horvat, Olli Maatta, and other current NHLers, the Knights swept Windsor in the first round, beat Saginaw in six games and swept Kitchener in the Conference Finals. They played a tough Niagara team in the finals, who had only lost three games in the playoffs. But they got the job done, beating the Ice Dogs in five.

In the Memorial Cup, they went 2-1 in the round robin; that included victories over the Saint John’s Sea Dogs and Edmonton Oil Kings and a tough loss to the Shawinigan Cataracts. That earned them a spot in the finals, where they played Shawinigan again and lost, again. This time, it was a heartbreaker; 2-1 in the final game.

2013 (won, lost in Memorial Cup semi-finals)

After getting one win away from their first Memorial Cup since 2005, the Knights were out for revenge in 2013. They qualified for their second straight Memorial Cup after a dominating playoff performance. They beat Saginaw, Kitchener and Plymouth, in that order, only dropping two games in that span. In the final, they played the Barrie Colts, in what turned out to be a historic series. After three wins a piece through the first six, Bo Horvat scored the championship winning goal in the last second of game seven, to give the Knights the win. It was a goal he’ll never forget.

The Knights had to claw for every victory they got in the Memorial Cup. After losing 6-3 to the Portland Winterhawks and getting crushed 9-2 by the Halifax Mooseheads, London headed into the tie breaking game with a 1-2 record. They played Saskatoon, the only team they had beat in the round robin, and dispatched them with ease, winning 6-1. However, that was as far as the Knights would go, as they lost 2-1 to Portland in the semi-finals. The Winterhawks ended up losing to Halifax in the finals.

2014 and 2015 (lost in second round of playoffs)

Upon losing some of their top talent to the NHL, the Knights struggled over the next two years. In 2014, they swept the Windsor Spitfires in the first round, and things were looking promising. But they ran into a hot Guelph Storm team in the second round, and lost in five games. Guelph went on to win the J. Ross, and lost in the Memorial Cup finals. As the Knights were the host team that year, they also earned a spot in the Memorial Cup Championship. A team that was a shadow of what it once was went 0-3 in the round robin, and did not qualify for the tournament semi-finals.

In 2015, the playoffs again started promising, as a London team began the post-season with Max Domi, Mitch Marner and Matthew Tkachuk all playing great hockey. They beat the Kitchener Rangers in six games, but like the year before, they ran into a streaking team in the Western Conference semi-finals. This time, it was the Erie Otters, who were led by captain Connor McDavid. Erie would go onto the finals and lose to the Oshawa Generals in five games.

2016 (won Memorial Cup)

After two disappointing seasons, 2016 saw the departure of Max Domi, but the coming out of Marner, Tkachuk and Christian Dvorak. The Knights had an excellent season, and even better playoffs. Riding their top line, they lost two games in four series, en route to their first OHL Championship since 2013. They beat Owen Sound, Kitchener, Erie and Niagara in that order.

London’s dominance in the post-season carried over to the Memorial Cup. They went 3-0 in the round robin, beating Red Deer, Brandon and Rouyn-Noranda. That earned them a trip straight to the finals, where they played the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies again. They were down 2-1 in the game, but tied it up late, and Tkachuk saved some heroics for the extra frame. He scored on a nice toe drag wrist shot in overtime to give London their first Memorial Cup win since 2005. An excellent season, capped off by an exhilarating finish.

Today, the London Knights are at the top of the OHL; they are locked in for the playoffs and they have the talent to make a long post-season run. They’ve had great success over the last five years, and if this season has been any indication, March could be a fun month.