The crosswalk at London Road and Front Street, near Sarnia's waterfront, has been painted London Knights' green and yellow.
The city is making good on a friendly wager with London Mayor Josh Morgan, based on the results of the OHL's Western Conference Final between the Knights and Sarnia Sting.
On Sunday, the Knights defeated Sarnia 5-1 to win the series in six games.
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said he, along with the entire city, is extremely proud of the Sting's unprecedented run.
"I've been around for the whole time, since the team first came here from Newmarket," said Bradley. "There have been highs and lows, and this was the high. Being in that arena and seeing the enthusiasm of the fans was great. You can see it's going to last. They're very supportive of the team, the management and where they're going. It was sad they didn't make it, but the Sting personified the spirit of Sarnia in their really good run to the conference finals."
The crosswalk at London Road and Front Street, near Sarnia's waterfront, painted London Knights' green and yellow. 9 May 2023. (Photo by SarniaNewsToday.ca)
Bradley said it was fun for the two cities to have that friendly competition.
"The Sting were just so fabulous for the community's morale over the last number of weeks as they took us to this point that we've never been before as a hockey team," said Bradley. "It was good to have a good natured bet with the mayor of London who grew up in this area. There's such a linkage between Sarnia and London with the hospitals and the infrastructure and the industrial side and transportation. So, it was a friendly bet, it was a good bet. I just wish we weren't on the wrong end of it."
Crews painted the crosswalk on Tuesday morning. It will likely be green and yellow for the next several weeks until pending construction on Front Street.
If the Sting had come out on top, a crosswalk on Sarnia Road in London would have been transformed into black and yellow.
This season was the most successful in Sarnia Sting franchise history. It was the first time the organization advanced to the Western Conference Final.
Meanwhile, the London Knights will face the Peterborough Petes for the OHL championship.
Game one is set for Thursday night.
