The Don Brankley Hall of Fame has officially inducted its second class.
Plaques honouring Garry Unger, Reg Thomas, Brian Bradley, Chris Kelly, Dylan Hunter, and John McDonald now grace the wall of the third floor of Budweiser Gardens.
The latest class inducted into the @LondonKnights Hall of Fame.
Garry Unger, Reg Thomas, Brian Bradley, Chris Kelly, Dylan Hunter, and John McDonald pic.twitter.com/XlfR7gq3gE
— XFM Sports (@SportsXFM) February 11, 2020
They join the inaugural class of Dave Lowry, Dennis Maruk, Walt McKechnie, Rob Schremp, Chris Taylor, and Tim Taylor.
There are historic NHL streaks, Olympic medals, even Stanley Cups amongst this classes’ careers, but it’s what they accomplished in junior hockey that landed them in the storied hall of fame.
The Inductees
Garry “Iron Man” Unger
Garry Unger
Photo from Hockey Database
The Calgary native came to London via Toronto in 1966. He played for the – then – London Nationals for the 1966-1967 season, and two games in the 1967-1968 season before he was called up to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Unger is credited with the second longest ironman streak in hockey history. He played 914 games straight He was benched for game 915. He says he owes the streak to his sister. Stating that if she could make it through life with polio, he could make it through the bumps and bruises of hockey.
Unger is the first 30-plus goal scorer for the London Nationals.
Rick Doyle, the president of the London Knights Alumni Foundation, says when asked why Unger deserved a spot, all his former teammates had the same response.
“To a man, every one of them said ‘because he was the best junior hockey player, in Canada, at that time’.”
He played 16 seasons in the NHL, for 4 different teams: the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Detroit Red Wings, the St. Louis Blues, and the Atlanta Flames.
Reginald Thomas
Reg Thomas
Photo from Hockey Database
Reg Thomas is a local. Born and raised in London. He played for his hometown team for three seasons, from 1970-1973.
He sits with rare company in the history of the London Knights. He’s one of only 14 players in 55 years of the organizations’ existence to score more than 300 points. He remains the quickest one to ever reach the 300 mark
He scored 309 points in only 180 games.
He’s also the second 50-plus goal scorer in Knights franchise history.
Thomas played 39 games in the NHL, for the Quebec Nordiques.
Brian Bradley
Brian Bradley
Photo from Hockey Database
Brian Bradley played for the London Knights from 1981-1985.
He’s another of the 14 players who scored more than 300 points in his junior career. He scored 373 points as a Knight and sits third on the all-time scoring list for the franchise.
Standing at 5″10′ Bradley was often considered undersized for the game of hockey. During the ceremony, Rick Doyle relayed what former Knights coach, Paul McIntosh, had to say about Bradley.
“This is what Brian brought to the Knights: a team first attitude, a quiet play-the-game-right approach. He fought through the size deficiency. He was a target every game we played. He never backed down.”
Bradley played in the NHL for 13 seasons, with four different teams: the Calgary Flames, the Vancouver Canucks, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He was selected to two NHL All-Star Games and held the NHL record for most goals scored (42) by a single player in an expansion team’s inaugural season (Tampa Bay) for 25 years.
Bradley was also part of Team Canada in the 1988 Olympic Games.
Chris Kelly
Chris Kelly
Photo from Hockey Database
Chris Kelly played most of his junior career for the London Knights. He played for the team from 1997-2001 and was already a leader on the team when the Hunter era began.
He racked up 233 points while playing for the Knights and is a former captain of the team.
London Knights Co-owner and Vice President, Mark Hunter says Kelly was a special player.
“I watched Chris day in and day out. He brought passion and desire to win.”
Kelly played for 14 years in the NHL for three teams: the Ottawa Senators, the Boston Bruins, and the Anaheim Ducks.
He was a member of the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team, won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2017 Spengler Cup, and was the captain of the bronze winning 2018 Olympic hockey team.
Dylan Hunter
Dylan Hunter
Photo from London Knights
Dylan Hunter is a London Knights legacy. His father, Dale, and uncle, Mark are co-owners of the team. They’re also the President/Head Coach and the Vice President/General Manager respectively.
He played for London for five seasons, from 2001-2006. He’s the franchise leader for most games played as a Knight (315) and is another former captain of the team.
He’s a member of the 2005 Memorial Cup winning team, which has also been named as the CHL Team of the Century.
One of his most notable contributions to the Knights was shutting down Sidney Crosby’s Rimouski Oceanic line during the 2005 Memorial Cup tournament.
Hunter played over 300 games in the AHL and ECHL following his junior career.
He’s been an Assistant Coach for the London Knights organization since 2011.
John McDonald
John McDonald is the first person going into the London Knights Hall of Fame as a builder.
He became the Head Scout of the club after it was purchased by the Hunter brothers. Though his connection to the Hunters as a scout goes all the way back to 1979, when he drafted Mark Hunter to the Brantford Alexanders.
Mark Hunter believes McDonald had an uncanny ability to see the skill of a player.
“I really believe he was ahead of his time on what kind of players were going to be successful. One of his lines he used to say to me [was] ‘Big’s good. As long as big can play.’… Big guys aren’t what it’s all about, it’s what’s inside you. John figured that kind of stuff out.”
McDonald brought in some of the most notable London Knights in recent history. Players like: Corey Perry, David Bolland, Patrick Kane, Sam Ganger, and Marc Methot.
Don Brankley London Knights Hall of Fame Inductee Lineup
Photo by Tamara Thornton
The six newest members of the Don Brankley London Knights Hall of Fame exemplify the qualities of what it means to be part of the London Knights.
Next year’s class will be in lofty company.
