The River East Royal Knights are a

junior ice hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

team in the

Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League (MMJHL) is a junior ice hockey league in Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1970, the league was operated as an independent league. MMJHL affiliated with Hockey Manitoba and Hockey Canada in the mid-1990s. Teams ...

. Based in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, Canada, the Royal Knights play their home games at Terry Sawchuk Memorial Arena.

History

Formed in 1972 as the East Kildonan Knights, president and part owner John Haasbeek (who led a group that bought the team in 1977) folded the team in April 1981 after operating it for four seasons. Haasbeek was then approached by Barry Bonni (2017 Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame inductee) about keeping a team in the area. The two worked together and formed the new River East Royal Knights for the 1981-82 MMJHL season. After three straight seasons by the E.K. Knights of finishing third in the league standings the Royal Knights captured the Jack McKenzie Trophy in their very first season. The team won four consecutive league titles from 1987 to 1990 and again in 1993 and 2001. The Royal Knights have been to the league finals twelve times while claiming the Art Moug Trophy (regular season winner) seven times in team history.

History

Season-by-season

References

External links