JIM VAN HORNE, The Londoner
Brian Logie of London not only picked the Knights green, white and gold colours – and got the original jersey to prove it – he also shared the distinction of naming the team in 1968 in a contest. Today he’s a collector of hockey memorabilia, including dozens of Knights’ pucks over the years.
SEAN MEYER PHOTO
We asked readers to share their favourite stories of the London Knights over the past 40 years.
In the early 1950’s my dad took me to see the London Lou Ball Juniors at the old Ontario Arena and I have been a hockey fan and collector of hockey memorabilia ever since. This includes the era of the Lou Ball Juniors, the Athletics, the Chester Pegg Diamonds, the London Nationals and now our London Knights.
In 1968 new owners Claude Bennett, Sol Ages and Howard Darwin decided to have a contest to pick a new home for the team and select new colours. As junior A teams no longer were sponsored by their National Hockey League counterparts, London would no longer sport the colours and logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As a longtime fan, I welcomed this opportunity to perhaps help play a part in the future of the team, which would be sporting a new name and new colours. As I had been a fastball teammate of Gene Taylor, the new coach and former trainer, I recalled he was a fan of the Minnesota North Stars, which had green, white and gold uniforms.
As London was known for its ORFU football team, the London Lords, I decided on a green, white and gold uniform with the name Knights in letters on the sweater. I sent in two entries, one in my name and one in my wife’s in case they held a draw and waited for the results.
A few weeks later, I received a letter from Doug Pratt, the team’s general manager, and I was very excited as to its contents. The letter said we had won (they chose my wife’s entry) the part of the contest that selected a new colour scheme for the team. As there was another entry for the name Knights, they divided the prize and we each won for our suggestion. (I believe the person’s name was Bob Henderson.)
This was very exciting for me, as I was a collector of team memorabilia and now realized that as long as our boys wore the green, white and gold, I would have a part in their history and this has certainly come to pass in 2004-2005.
Go Knights Go.
Brian Logie, London