By Will MacLaren, Features writer
When London Knights captain
Denver Barkey hoisted the Memorial Cup over his head in Rimouski, Que.,
the first thing he did, naturally, was deliver it to his teammates. The
next thing he did was skate toward a few hundred rabid supporters in the
corner of the building, many of whom made the nearly 13-hour drive to
the south shore of the St. Lawrence to celebrate a story of redemption
with their favorite sons.
It wasn’t just symbolic for Barkey; it
was necessary. “They mean everything to us,” he said. “They’ve done so
much for me. They always show up. It’s a great community that always
rallies around us. I’m so happy for them.”
A left winger in his
fourth OHL season, Barkey scored twice to help propel the Knights to a
4-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 105th Memorial Cup
final. Easton Cowan – who took home the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy
as the tournament’s MVP – and overager Jacob Julien also scored for the
Knights, who have claimed three national titles over the past 20 years.
This triumph comes on the heels of back-to-back OHL championships and
three league final appearances in a row for the franchise considered by
many to be the CHL’s crown jewel.
The
fans who showed up for Barkey were merely repaying the favor. Since
2021, when he first put on the iconic green jersey, there’s been an
attachment between player and city. This reached a new level this season
with the establishment of Barkey’s Buds. The initiative provides
tickets to Knights games to those impacted by financial barriers. The
organization also acquired hockey equipment for those in London
Community Housing through donations and the sale of Barkey’s Buds
T-shirts.
The passion Barkey, a native of Newmarket, Ont., shows
for his adopted hometown is just as intense as his admiration for his
teammates and his desire to help the Knights overcome their experience
from last year’s Memorial Cup final, which saw the club lose in the last
minute of regulation to the host Saginaw Spirit. “That was the message
since Day 1 of training camp: remember how that felt and express it to
the guys who weren’t here for it last year,” Barkey said. “It’s been our
fuel and motivation all year long.”
Though Barkey was the first
to touch the trophy this year, his thoughts were with his teammates
celebrating all around him. “These guys have taught me so much,” he
said. “There are friendships out here that’ll last a lifetime. For me,
it’s as simple as playing hockey with your friends and the guys you
love. We wanted to do it for each other more than ourselves.”
One
of those friendships is with Julien, who, in 2016, was watching as an
11-year-old on a big screen at London’s Western Fair District as his
hometown Knights claimed their second Memorial Cup. Since then, Julien
has gone from an undrafted under-16 prospect who was contemplating his
future in the game to missing a season due to COVID-19 to a long-shot
draftee of the Knights.
Where did Julien go from there? Well,
there are the two Memorial Cups he played in for starters. Plus
development camp with the Winnipeg Jets, who drafted him in the fifth
round in 2023. It’s funny where determination can lead. “In the end, I
decided I wanted to keep playing, whether it was Jr. B or another
level,” Julien said. “I’m grateful to have actually done it and reached
this moment.”
With emotions coursing through him, Julien had to
refocus to stay in the conversation, an understandable reaction given
all that it took to get there. But when asked who he was thinking about
as the final seconds ticked down, there was no hesitation. “Everyone,”
he said. “The team, my family and all the supporters both here and back
in London. I couldn’t be more grateful for them. It’s what every kid
from London has ever dreamed of.”
Make no mistake; just because
the Knights win a lot doesn’t mean it’s easy. If anything, having the
target that comes with being that good on their backs made the group
stay on their toes to an even greater degree.
The one constant has
been the man behind the bench, Dale Hunter. Hunter has seen plenty of
good teams pass through the Forest City, but this one came with
something every coach dreams of: self-motivation. “They’re great players
with great skill, but most importantly, great will,” Hunter said. “Last
year, we came up short, but I could see from the start of this year,
they were determined. The kids get all the credit. They’re the ones who
go out there and fight on the ice.”
This article
appeared in our 2025 Champions issue. Our cover story focuses on
the 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, specifically the elite
play of defenseman Seth Jones, along with a recap of each game of the
Cup final. We
also include features on Sharks center Will Smith and Kraken defenseman
Ryker Evans. In
addition, we give our list of the top 10 moments from the 2024-25 NHL
season.
You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.
