London Knights’ Dale Hunter coaches 1,000th OHL game

London Knights' head coach Dale Hunter gives instruction to his players during the 2016 Memorial Cup. (Jeff McIntosh/CP)

London Knights head coach Dale Hunter joined some exclusive company Saturday, becoming the sixth coach in OHL history to work 1,000 games.

Hunter, who is also the team’s owner and president, picked up the milestone in London’s 4-3 win against the Saginaw Spirit on Saturday—his 669th win. In all, he has a 669-261-53 record with 17 ties in his 14 seasons behind the bench, all with the Knights.

Brian Kilrea leads all OHL coaches with 2,156 games coached. Others to hit the milestone include Bert Templeton (1,735), Larry Mavety (1,532), George Burnett (1,332) and current North Bay Battalion head coach Stan Butler (1,397).

Hunter took the helm during the 2001-02 season. He left the post briefly in 2011-12 when he coached 60 games with the Washington Capitals, but returned to London following the NHL season.

The Knights entered Sunday’s games tied for the lead in the Midwest Division and are well on their way to a 17th consecutive playoff appearance. In that time, the team has won the OHL championship three times (2005, 2013, 2016) and won two Memorial Cups (2005, 2016).

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