Hundreds of Londoners lined the streets as a parade honouring the London Knights and their 2016 Memorial Cup win snaked through the downtown.
Thursday's parade was held to officially celebrate the team receiving its Memorial Cup Championship rings. A line for player autographs began forming an hour before the parade, which began at London City Hall, arrived at Budweiser Gardens.
Beth Brown and her son Matthew were among the first in line.
"Matthew played his first year of hockey last season and he loved watching the Knights play," says Beth. "He came to his first Knights game last year and cheered them on through the whole Memorial Cup championships too."
When asked if he was excited for the Knights 2016-2017 season to begin, Matthew let out an emphatic "yes." Clad in his own London Knights jersey, Matthew eagerly waited for his chance to meet his favourite player - Mitch Marner.
"This is great for the city and it's really great for all the young kids out there that look up to the Knights to be able to have a chance to see and meet their heroes," says Beth.
Matthew wasn't the only one anxious to meet Marner and the rest of the team, as Keith Tilman and his dad Ryan also braved the long line.
"We came at 1pm and were going to watch the parade at the back of Budweiser Gardens. But we found out there was a lineup for the autographs so we booked it over to the line and got ahead of the crowd," says Ryan.
Inside Budweiser Gardens, a video of the Knights Memorial Cup win was shown on a big screen. The Knights defeated the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 3-2 in overtime on May 29 to be crowned the 2016 Memorial Cup Champions. It was only the second time in franchise history the team has earned the distinction.
Although rain and thunderstorms were in the forecast, Mayor Matt Brown was confident Londoners would turn out in droves for the parade.
"We had an incredible turn out in Victoria Park when they returned back to London after they'd won the Memorial Cup and we've got an incredible turn out here," says Brown. "Everybody in London is a London Knights fan. After a season like the last one, it's no wonder. We are so proud of what they were able to accomplish."
An awards ceremony, where the players were officially given their championship rings and other hardware, followed the autograph session.