Kitchener Rangers

Hockey team | CAN_eng = 1|
team = Kitchener Rangers

city = Kitchener, Ontario
league = Ontario Hockey League
conference = Western
division = Midwest
founded = 1963-1964
arena = Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex
colours = Blue, Red & White
coach = Steve Spott
GM = Steve Spott
affiliates = Kitchener Dutchmen
parentclub = New York Rangers
(1963-1967)
name1 = Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters
dates1 = 1947-60
name2 = Guelph Royals
dates2 = 1960-63
name3 = Kitchener Rangers | dates3 = 1963-Present
|The Kitchener Rangers are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League that have called Kitchener, Ontario, Canada their home since 1963. The Rangers are a publicly owned hockey team, governed by a 40-person Board of Directors made up of season ticket subscribers. The Rangers hosted the 2008 Memorial Cup tournament.

History

The roots of the Kitchener Rangers are traced back to the 1947-1948 hockey season when the franchise was formed as the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters. In 1960 the "Biltmores" as they were often called became the Guelph Royals. At the end of the 1962-63 season, a local business entrepreneur named Eugene George, was approached by the New York Rangers about moving the team to Kitchener in hopes of building a more stable junior environment.

The team moved into the Kitchener Auditorium for the start of the 1963-1964 season, which had previously been home to the Kitchener Greenshirts and the Kitchener Canucks. The Rangers were successful promoting the team in the community, drawing high attendance despite a poor first season. By 1968 the Rangers were a first place team that had reached the league finals twice.

;Public ownership of the RangersWhen the National Hockey League collectively ended sponsorship of junior teams, the New York Rangers then offered the team to Eugene George for $1.00, a token receipt to assume the financial and overall responsibility of the team from then on.George, realizing the community importance of the Kitchener Rangers, instead turned the team over to the community; in essence, to its season ticket subscribers. The Rangers became a publicly owned team. George and fellow colleagues strategically set up a volunteer Directorship, which included key Executives, which still holds true today (among all eligible season ticket subscribers). The Rangers are backboned today by their unique strategy; a 40-person Board of Directors to which 9 Executive positions are elected as key duties including Finances, Policies, Charities, and a Hockey Committee among others.

;1966 to 1968The Rangers struggled their first three season in the OHA, but finished strong in 1966 despite a 7th place 16-23-9 record. The Rangers won the first two playoff rounds to make it to the OHA finals, but lost 4 games to 1, to the Oshawa Generals, featuring a young Bobby Orr. Kitchener finished in 1st place the next season, but fell to the Hamilton Red Wings in the playoffs. In 1968 the Rangers were first again in the OHA, and won their second consecutive Hamilton Spectator Trophy. Kitchener played in the finals again, losing a very close series 4 games to 3 with a tie, to the eventual Memorial Cup Champions Niagara Falls Flyers.

;The 1970sKitchener struggled through the decade, posting only two winning seasons. In 1973-74, the Rangers finish 1st in the OHA due to the stellar goalkeeping of Don Edwards, with the league lowest goals against average. Kitchener however lost in the semi-finals in the playoffs. Dwight Foster set the Rangers franchise record for points in a highest during the high scoring late 1970s. Foster scored 60 goals and 83 assists totalling 143 points to be the scoring champion.

Memorial Cup 1981

The Rangers coached by Orval Tessier finished first place in a highly contested Emms division, despite winning only half its games. The team made a remarkable turnaround from its previous dismal season. The 1981 Rangers were led by 16 year old captain Brian Bellows, and also featured Al MacInnis and goalie Wendell Young.

Kitchener caught fire in the playoffs eliminating the Niagara Falls Flyers and the Windsor Spitfires in the Emms division playoffs, then eliminated the highly favoured Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the league finals, who finished 27 points ahead of Kitchener.

Tessier returned to the Memorial Cup for the fourth time, after playing for the 1953 Barrie Flyers, and coaching the 1972 Cornwall Royals and 1973 Québec Remparts. Kitchener faced off against the Victoria Cougars and the defending champions, the Cornwall Royals in the Memorial Cup played in Windsor, Ontario and the Windsor Arena.

Kitchener lost the first two games 6-3 to Cornwall, and 7-4 to Victoria. The Rangers then posted consecutive victories, 6-4 over the Royals in which Bellows scored a hat trick, and 4-2 over the Cougars. In the finals versus Cornwall, the Rangers fell 5-2 to the Royals who would win their second consecutive Memorial Cup title. The 1981 playoffs were a breakthrough for Kitchener, who would be one of the best teams in the OHL during the 1980s.

Memorial Cup 1982

Joe Crozier took over the coaching duties after 1981, and Kitchener picked up on the winning note from the previous season. The Rangers won the Emms division again with a much improved record and many players returning, and also added future NHL players Scott Stevens and Mike Hough.

Kitchener earned a first round bye, then eliminated the Windsor Spitfires and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for the second year in a row in the Emms division playoffs. The Rangers then faced off against the Ottawa 67's coached by Brian Kilrea in the finals, winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup 9 points to 1. Kitchener faced the Portland Winter Hawks and the Sherbrooke Castors in the Memorial Cup series played at the Robert Guertin Arena in Hull, Québec.

Kitchener received a sobering 10-4 loss in game one at the hands of Sherbrooke. The Rangers played much better in game two, defeating Portland 9-2. Brian Bellows scored 11 seconds into the game, setting a Memorial Cup record. In their third game, the Rangers shut out the Castors 4-0, atoning for the previous lopsided loss in game one. The game was very physical, and included a bench-clearing brawl in the second period. Kitchener seemed to be a bit worn out the next night, losing 4-2 to Portland.

The Rangers and the Castors made it to the finals on a better goals for and against total, after all three teams won and lost two games each in the round-robin. The final game drew 4091 spectators who saw Bellow score a hat trick, leading the Rangers to a 7-4 victory, winning its first Memorial Cup.

;1982-83 RangersKitchener finished a strong second place in the Emms division after winning the Cup the year before. Kitchener fell in the third round of the playoffs, in the division finals to their rivals, S.S.Marie Greyhounds 8 points to 2. The strong showing of the Rangers over the last three seasons earned Kitchener the right to host the Memorial Cup in 1984.

Memorial Cup 1984

Tom Barrett took over coaching duties in 1983. Kitchener posted the best record in the OHL in 1983-84 with 106 points, proving without a doubt they were worthy being chosen to host the Memorial Cup tournament. The Rangers were led by John Tucker as the OHL's most outstanding player, Wayne Presley as the top scoring right winger, and Shawn Burr was the rookie of the year.

Kitchener earned its 3rd straight first round bye, before sweeping the London Knights in the second round. The Rangers avenged last season's loss versus Sault Ste. Marie winning the series 8 points to 6. Kitchener faced the Ottawa 67's in a rematch of the 1982 OHL finals. The Rangers were unable to pull out the victory, losing the series 8 points to 2. The Rangers and 67's would both play in the Memorial Cup, as well as the Kamloops Junior Oilers and the Laval Voisins featuring Mario Lemieux.

Kitchener defeated Laval 8-2 in game one, holding Lemieux scoreless. In game two, Kitchener had an 8-0 lead over Kamloops but narrowly held on to win the game 9-7. Ottawa had also won its first two games. The two teams met in the final game of the round robin, with Kitchener posting a 7-2 victory, to earn a beth in the finals. Ottawa won 7-2 in the semi-finals, then won 7-2 again in a rematch versus Kitchener in the finals.

;The late 1980sThe loss marked the end of the Rangers four year run at success. Kitchener would rebuild for four seasons, before winning the Emms division regular season title in the 1988-89 season, in which Gus Morschauser was the OHL Goaltender of the Year. Kitchener was upset in the first round of the playoffs by the North Bay Centennials.

Memorial Cup 1990

The 1989-90 Rangers finished second overall in the Emms division, but used their experience to previal through the playoffs. Kitchener avenged the previous season's loss to North Bay, and earned the second round bye. The Rangers defeated the Niagara Falls Thunder team in the semi-finals, setting up a series against the Leyden division champion Oshawa Generals featuring Eric Lindros in the finals.

Both the Rangers and the Generals were assured a spot in the Memorial Cup as OHL finalists in 1990. The tournament was originally chosen to be hosted by the Dukes of Hamilton at Copps Coliseum before the season started, but when the Dukes finished last overall that season, the OHL chose to send both league finalists instead. The OHL championship series was a very close affair, but Kitchener lost in the seventh game to the Oshawa. Kitchener would face off against Oshawa in the 1990 Memorial Cup, and also rematch against their opponents in the 1984 tournament, both of who had new names, the Kamloops Junior Oilers were now the Kamloops Blazers, and the Laval Voisins were now the Laval Titan.

The 1990 Memorial Cup tournament opened up on May 5th, 1990 with Kitchener facing the Kamloops Blazers. The rematch from six years ago was also a very high scoring game with a back-and-forth score in regualation, with Kitchener winning 8-7 in overtime. In their second game, the fourth game of the tournament, Kitchener beat Laval 5-3.

Similar to 1984, both Ontario-based team were undefeated after two games, and faced each other in the last game of the round-robin. The game was played in front of 11,134 fans, lasted 4 hours 15 minutes into double overtime, with Oshawa winning 5-4. Kitchener then played Laval in the semi-finals. It was a very close game throughout, with Kitchener pulling out a 5-4 victory.

The Rangers would play the Generals in the finals, with 17, 383 fans in attendance. Much like the first game between the two teams, the championship went into double overtime. Kitchener lost again to Oshawa, 4-3.

;The 1990sThe remainder of the decade was lacklustre for Kitchener. The team managed three winning seasons with their best coming in 1997. Kitchener reached the third round, but lost to a familiar foe in six games to Oshawa. The Rangers were led through the season by rookie goaltender Shawn Degagne, with the league's best goals against average for a freshman.

;Rangers in the new millenniumThe Rangers have had great success at the turnstiles, and being an OHL attendance leader. The team attracted a record 162,000 plus fans in 1999-00, an average of 4,750 per game. In 2001, Peter DeBoer came over from successful years with the Plymouth Whalers to be the coach and general manager of Kitchener.

Memorial Cup 2003

In 2002-2003 the Rangers were first place overall in the OHL, being the only team with 100 points and winning the Hamilton Spectator Trophy. Kitchener was also one of the top-ranked teams in the country. The team featured six future NHL players, forwards Mike Richards, Petr Kanko, Gregory Campbell, David Clarkson, captain Derek Roy and defenceman Steve Eminger, who had been returned from the NHL's Washington Capitals mid-season.

The Rangers defeated S.S.Marie, Guelph and Plymouth in the western conference playoffs, then beat the Ottawa 67's in 5 games to win its third J. Ross Robertson cup, after waiting 21 years from its last. Derek Roy was named the MVP of the playoffs.

The 2003 Memorial Cup was hosted in the Quebec City at the Colisée de Québec. Kitchener faced off versus the host Québec Remparts, QMJHL champions Hull Olympiques, and the Kelowna Rockets from the WHL.

Kitchener went through the round-robin undefeated, beating the Remparts 4-3 in game one, the Olympiques 4-1 in game two, and the Rockets 4-2 in game three. On Sunday, May 25, 2003, the Rangers won their second Memorial Cup title, defeating Hull 6-3.

Steve Bienkowski, the Rangers president & governor, also a former goaltender with the Rangers who played in the 1981 Memorial Cup, was the OHL Executive of the Year for the 2002-03 season.

;Recent TimesSince 2003, the Rangers have been competitive every year. In May 2007 it was announced that the Rangers would host the 2008 Memorial Cup, giving the team an automatic entry into the tournament.

After finishing 1st in the league in the 2007-08 season, the Rangers went on to win the OHL Championship against the Belleville Bulls. Since the Rangers were also the host team, the Bulls competed as the OHL Champions, and the Rangers played as the host team.

Memorial Cup 2008

In 2007-2008 the Rangers were first place overall in the OHL, being the only team with greater than 100 points and winning the Hamilton Spectator Trophy.

The Rangers defeated Plymouth, Sarnia and Sault Ste. Marie in the western conference playoffs, then beat the Belleville Bulls in 7 games to win its fourth J. Ross Robertson cup.

The 2008 Memorial Cup was hosted in Kitchener at the Aud. Kitchener faced off against the OHL finalists Belleville Bulls, QMJHL champions Gatineau Olympiques, and the Spokane Chiefs from the WHL.

Kitchener went through the round-robin with a 1 and 2 record, defeating Gatineau 6-5 (OT), losing to Spokane 1-2, and losing to Belleville 3-4 (OT). In the semi-final, Kitchener defeated Belleville 9-0, earning a place to play Spokane for the Memorial Cup. Kitchener lost to Spokane, 4-1 in front of 6,807 fans.

Championships

The Kitchener Rangers have appeared in the Memorial Cup tournament six times, winning twice. Kitchener has also won the J. Ross Robertson Cup four times, won the Hamilton Spectator Trophy seven times, and have won seven division titles.

:Memorial Cup * 1981 Lost to Cornwall Royals in final game * 1982 Champions vs. Sherbrooke Castors * 1984 Lost to Ottawa 67's in final game * 1990 Lost to Oshawa Generals in final game * 2003 Champions vs. Hull Olympiques * 2008 Lost to Spokane Chiefs in final game :J. Ross Robertson Cup * 1966 Lost to Oshawa Generals * 1968 Lost to Niagara Falls Flyers * 1981 Champions vs. S.S.Marie Greyhounds * 1982 Champions vs. Ottawa 67's * 1984 Lost to Ottawa 67's * 1990 Lost to Oshawa Generals * 2003 Champions vs. Ottawa 67's * 2008 Champions vs. Belleville Bulls

:Wayne Gretzky Trophy *2002-03 Champions vs. Plymouth whalers *2007-08 Champions vs. S.S.Marie Greyhounds :Hamilton Spectator Trophy *1966-67 64 points *1967-68 82 points *1973-74 95 points *1983-84 106 points *1988-89 88 points *2002-03 100 points *2007-08 110 points :Division Trophies *1980-81 Emms Trophy, Emms Division *1981-82 Emms Trophy, Emms Division *1983-84 Emms Trophy, Emms Division *1988-89 Emms Trophy, Emms Division *1996-97 Emms Trophy, Central Division *2002-03 Holody Trophy, Midwest Division *2007-08 Holody Trophy, Midwest Division

Coaches

Two Kitchener Rangers coaches have won the Matt Leyden Trophy as the OHL Coach of the Year; Tom Barrett in 1983-84, and Joe McDonnell in 1988-89. Joe McDonnell was also voted the Canadian Hockey League Coach of the Year in the 1988-89 season.

"List of coaches with multiple seasons in parentheses."

*1967-69 Wally Kullman (2) *1969-70 Gerry Forler (2) *1970-71 G.Forler & R. Murphy *1971-72 Ron Murphy (2) *1972-74 Eddie Bush (3) *1974-75 E.Bush, D.McKee, J.Morrison *1975-77 Mac MacLean (3) *1977-78 M.MacLean & B.Ertel *1978-79 B.Ertel (3) *1979-80 B.Ertel & R.Seiling *1980-81 Orval Tessier

*1981-83 Joe Crozier (2) *1983-86 Tom Barrett (4) *1986-87 T.Barrett & J.McDonnell *1987-94 Joe McDonnell (9) *1994-95 J.McDonnell & G.Ward *1995-98 Geoff Ward (4) *1998-99 Brian Hayton (2) *1999-00 B.Hayton & J.Snyder *2000-01 Jeff Snyder (2) *2001-08 Peter DeBoer (7) *2008-pres Steve Spott

Players

Award winners

*1967-68 Walt Tkaczuk - Red Tilson Trophy, (Most Outstanding Player)
*1973-74 Don Edwards - Dave Pinkney Trophy, (Lowest team GAA)
*1976-77 Dwight Foster - Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy, (Scoring Champion)
*1982-83 Al MacInnis - Max Kaminsky Trophy, (Most Outstanding Defenceman)
*1983-84 John Tucker - Red Tilson Trophy, (Most Outstanding Player)
*1983-84 Wayne Presley - Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy, (Top Scoring Right Winger)
*1983-84 Shawn Burr - Emms Family Award, (Rookie of the Year)
*1986-87 Ron Goodall - Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy, (Top Scoring Right Winger)
*1988-89 Gus Morschauser - OHL Goaltender of the Year
*1990-91 Mike Torchia - OHL Goaltender of the Year
*1990-91 Joey St. Aubin - Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy, (Overage Player of the Year)
*1992-93 Tim Spitzig - Bobby Smith Trophy, (Scholastic Player of the Year)
*1995-96 Boyd Devereaux - Bobby Smith Trophy, (Scholastic Player of the Year)
*1996-97 Shawn Degagne - F.W. 'Dinty' Moore Trophy, (Best rookie GAA)
*1999-00 Derek Roy - Emms Family Award, (Rookie of the Year)
*2002-03 Derek Roy - Wayne Gretzky 99 Award, (Playoffs MVP)
*2003-04 Andre Benoit - William Hanley Trophy, (Most Sportsmanlike Player)
*2007-08 Nick Spaling - William Hanley Trophy, (Most Sportsmanlike Player)

Honoured numbers

* # 3 Scott Stevens * # 6 Paul Coffey * # 7 Bill Barber

* # 19 Larry Robinson * # 21 Jim McGeachie * # 22 Gary Crosby

NHL alumni

The Kitchener Rangers have 128 alumni who have played in the National Hockey League. Five alumni have been elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame: Bill Barber, Paul Coffey, Al MacInnis, Larry Robinson and Scott Stevens.

*Russ Adam *Chris Ahrens *Claire Alexander *John Baby *Reid Bailey *Peter Bakovic *Terry Ball *Bill Barber *Brian Bellows *Mikkel Boedker *Dennis Bonvie *Rick Bourbonnais *David Bruce *Garrett Burnett *Shawn Burr *Jerry Byers *Gregory Campbell *Tom Cassidy *Rick Chartraw *David Clarkson *Paul Coffey *Bob Cook *Lou Crawford *Dave Cressman *Ab DeMarco *Boyd Devereaux *Gilbert Dionne *Rob Dopson *Steve Downie *Denis Dupere *Mike Eagles *Tim Ecclestone *Don Edwards *Jack Egers *Steve Eminger

*John Paul Evans *Trevor Fahey *Sandy Fitzpatrick *Dwight Foster *Jody Gage *Gaston Gingras *David Haas *Paul Higgins *Dan Hinton *Paul Hoganson *Mike Hough *Dale Hunter *Larry Huras *Bob Hurlburt *Robbie Irons *Bob Jones *Jim Jones *Petr Kanko *Gord Kannegiesser *Sheldon Kannegiesser *Jim Krulicki *Gary Kurt *Nick Kypreos *Jeff Larmer *Matt Lashoff *David Latta *Don Laurence *Ray LeBlanc *Randy Legge *Henri Lehvonen *Chris Lipuma *Don Luce *Charlie Luksa

*Brett MacDonald *Al MacInnis *Dave Maloney *Don Maloney *Eric Manlow *Grant Martin *Dennis McCord *Darwin McCutcheon *Joe McDonnell *Dave McLlwain *Sean McMorrow *Max Middendorf *Tom Miller *Mike Moher *Jason Morgan *Jim Nahrgang *Cam Newton *Claude Noel *Joe Noris *Gerry O'Flaherty *Bob Parent *Jim Pavese *Serge Payer *Kent Paynter *Andrew Peters *Walt Poddubny *Wayne Presley *Jake Rathwell *Paul Reinhart *Steven Rice *Mike Richards *Glen Richardson *Doug Risebrough

*Larry Robinson *Mike Robitaille *Allan Rourke *Derek Roy *Darren Rumble *Warren Rychel *Gary Sabourin *Jim Sandlak *Ron Sedlbauer *Dan Seguin *Sean Shanahan *David Shaw *Doug Shedden *Mike Stevens *Scott Stevens *Shayne Stevenson *Bill Stewart *Peter Sturgeon *Doug Sulliman *Walt Tkaczuk *Kirk Tomlinson *Mike Torchia *John Tucker *Boris Valabik *Todd Warriner *Rob Whistle *Tony White *Bob Whitlock *Brian Wilks *Craig Wolanin *Bennett Wolf *Jason York *Wendell Young

1st rounders in NHL Entry Draft

*Bill Barber 1972 7th overall by Philadelphia
*Al Blanchard 1972 10th overall by the New York Rangers
*Jerry Byers 1972 12th overall by Minnesota
*Doug Risebrough 1974 7th overall by Montreal
*Rick Chartraw 1974 10th overall by Montreal
*Dave Maloney 1974 14th overall by the New York Rangers
*Dwight Foster 1977 16th overall by Boston
*Paul Reinhart 1979 12th overall by Atlanta
*Doug Sulliman 1979 13th overall by the New York Rangers
*Paul Coffey 1980 6th overall by Edmonton
*Al MacInnis 1981 15th overall by Calgary
*Brian Bellows 1982 2nd overall by Minnesota
*Scott Stevens 1982 5th overall by Washington
*David Shaw 1982 13th overall by Quebec
*Shawn Burr 1984 7th overall by Detroit
*Craig Wolanin 1985 3rd overall by New Jersey
*David Latta 1985 15th overall by Quebec
*Darren Rumble 1987 20th overall by Philadelphia
*Shayne Stevenson 1989 17th overall by Boston
*Steven Rice 1989 20th overall by the New York Rangers
*Boyd Devereaux 1996 6th overall by Edmonton
*Steve Eminger 2002 12th overall by Washington
*Mike Richards 2003 24th overall by Philadelphia
*Boris Valabik 2004 10th overall by Atlanta
*Jakub Kindl 2005 19th overall by Detroit
*Matt Lashoff 2005 22nd overall by Boston
*Mikkel Boedker 2008 8th overall by Phoenix

Current roster

(as of September 26, 2008)

Team records

Playoffs

*1963-64 Out of playoffs.
*1964-65 Out of playoffs.
*1965-66 Defeated Niagara Falls Flyers 8 points to 4 in quarter-finals.
Defeated Toronto Marlboros 9 points to 7 in semi-finals.
Lost to Oshawa Generals 8 points to 2 in finals.
*1966-67 Defeated St. Catharines Black Hawks 9 points to 3 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Toronto Marlboros 9 points to 5 in semi-finals.
*1967-68 Defeated Toronto Marlboros 8 points to 2 in quarter-finals.
Defeated Hamilton Red Wings 8 points to 4 in semi-finals.
Lost to Niagara Falls Flyers 9 points to 7 in finals.
*1968-69 Out of playoffs.
*1969-70 Lost to St. Catharines Black Hawks 8 points to 4 in quarter-finals.
*1970-71 Lost to St. Catharines Black Hawks 8 points to 0 in quarter-finals.
*1971-72 Lost to Toronto Marlboros 8 points to 2 in quarter-finals.
*1972-73 Lost to London Knights 8 points to 0 in quarter-finals.
*1973-74 Defeated Sudbury Wolves 8 points to 0 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Peterborough Petes 8 points to 4 in semi-finals.
*1974-75 Out of playoffs.
*1975-76 Defeated St. Catharines Blackhawks 6 points to 2 in first round.
Lost to Hamilton Fincups 8 points to 0 in quarter-finals.
*1976-77 Lost to Windsor Spitfires 3 games to 0 in first round.
*1977-78 Defeated Toronto Marlboros 6 points to 4 in first round.
Lost to London Knights 8 points to 0 in quarter-finals.
*1978-79 Defeated Toronto Marlboros 6 points to 0 in first round.
Lost to Niagara Falls Thunder 8 points to 6 in quarter-finals.
*1979-80 Out of playoffs.
*1980-81 Defeated Niagara Falls Flyers 9 points to 5 in division semi-finals.
Defeated Windsor Spitfires 9 points to 1 in division finals.
Defeated S.S.Marie Greyhounds 9 points to 3 in finals. OHL CHAMPIONS
Finished Memorial Cup round-robin in second place.
Lost to Cornwall Royals 5-2 in final game.
*1981-82 Earned first round bye. 1st place in Emms division.
Defeated Windsor Spitfires 8 points to 0 in quarter-finals.
Defeated S.S.Marie Greyhounds 9 points to 3 in semi-finals.
Defeated Ottawa 67's 9 points to 1 in finals. OHL CHAMPIONS
Finished Memorial Cup round-robin in second place.
Defeated Sherbrooke Castors 7-4 in final game. "MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS"
*1982-83 Earned first round bye. 2nd place in Emms division.
Defeated North Bay Centennials 8 points to 2 in quarter-finals.
Lost to S.S.Marie Greyhounds 8 points to 2 in semi-finals.
*1983-84 Earned first round bye. 1st place in OHL.
Defeated London Knights 8 points to 0 in quarter-finals.
Defeated S.S.Marie Greyhounds 8 points to 6 in semi-finals.
Lost to Ottawa 67's 8 points to 2 in finals.
Finished Memorial Cup round-robin in first place.
Lost to Ottawa 67's 7-2 in final game.
*1984-85 Lost to S.S.Marie Greyhounds 8 points to 0 in first round.
*1985-86 Lost to Windsor Spitfires 8 points to 2 in first round.
*1986-87 Lost to North Bay Centennials 4 games to 0 in quarter-finals.
*1987-88 Lost to Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 0 in first round.
*1988-89 Lost to North Bay Centennials 4 games to 1 in first round.
*1989-90 Defeated North Bay Centennials 4 games to 1 in first round.
Earned bye through quarter-finals as top-seeded team remaining.
Defeated Niagara Falls Thunder 4 games to 1 in semi-finals.
Lost to Oshawa Generals 4 games to 3 in finals.
Finished Memorial Cup round-robin in second place.
Defeated Laval Titan 5-4 in semi-final game.
Lost to Oshawa Generals 4-3 in double overtime in finals.
*1990-91 Lost to Niagara Falls Thunder 4 games to 2 in first round.
*1991-92 Defeated Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 3 in first round.
Lost to S.S.Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 3 in quarter-finals.
*1992-93 Lost to London Knights 4 games to 3 in first round.
*1993-94 Lost to Owen Sound Platers 4 games to 1 in division quarter-finals.
*1994-95 Lost to Sudbury Wolves 4 games to 1 in division quarter-finals.
*1995-96 Defeated Barrie Colts 4 games to 3 in division quarter-finals.
Lost to Detroit Whalers 4 games to 1 in quarter-finals.
*1996-97 Earned bye through division quarter-finals.
Defeated Sarnia Sting 4 games to 3 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Oshawa Generals 4 games to 2 in semi-finals.
*1997-98 Lost to Owen Sound Platers 4 games to 2 in division quarter-finals.
*1998-99 Out of playoffs. (Lost to Windsor Spitfires 2-1 in 8th place tie-breaker.)
*1999-00 Lost to S.S.Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
*2000-01 Out of playoffs.
*2001-02 Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
*2002-03 Defeated S.S.Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
Defeated Guelph Storm 4 games to 1 in conference semi-finals.
Defeated Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 3 in conference finals.
Defeated Ottawa 67's 4 games to 1 in finals. OHL CHAMPIONS
Finished Memorial Cup round-robin in first place.
Defeated Hull Olympiques 6-3 in championship game. "MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS"
*2003-04 Lost to Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
*2004-05 Defeated Erie Otters 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
Defeated Owen Sound Attack 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals.
Lost to London Knights 4 games to 1 in conference finals.
*2005-06 Lost to Owen Sound Attack 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
*2006-07 Defeated Sarnia Sting 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 1 in conference semi-finals.
*2007-08 Defeated Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
Defeated Sarnia Sting 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals.
Defeated S.S.Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 1 in conference finals.
Defeated Belleville Bulls 4 games to 3 in Finals. OHL CHAMPIONS
Finished Memorial Cup round-robin in third place.
Defeated Belleville Bulls 9-0 in semi-final game.
Lost to Spokane Chiefs 4-1 in final game.

Uniforms and logos

When the Rangers first appeared in Kitchener, their sweater design mimicked their NHL sponsor, the New York Rangers, with the Ranger letters set diagonally across the sweater. The Kitchener Rangers colours have always been blue, red and white.

In 1990 the Rangers incorporated a character into their uniform to boost souvenir sales. The initial design had a Texas Ranger riding a horse. In 1995 the logo was redesigned as a shield featuring the team mascot 'Tex'.

For the 2000-01 OHL season the Rangers reverted back to their classic style New York Rangers sweaters. In 2006 the Rangers unveiled a third jersey. [http://www.sportslogos.net/logo.php?lo=6793] It displays horizontal red and blue bars on a white background with the Rangers shield shoulder patches.

Arena

The Kitchener Rangers play home games at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex. The Auditorium was built in 1951 and underwent extensive renovations in 2002. The Complex includes Centennial Stadium for football, Jack Couch Park for baseball, the Kiwanis and Kinsmen arenas and the main Auditorium arena.
* Capacity = 5,750 seated, 6400 standing
* Ice Size = 192' x 85'

The Auditorium hosted the Memorial Cup tournament in 1962, 1975, 1984 and 2008. The OHL All-Star Game was played there in 1980 & 1985 as well as the CHL Top Prospects Game in 2003.
* [http://www.ohlarenaguide.com/rangers.htm Kitchener Memorial Auditorium] The OHL Arena & Travel Guide

ee also

*List of ice hockey teams in Ontario

External links

* [http://www.kitchenerrangers.com/ Kitchener Rangers] Official web site
* [http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/ Ontario Hockey League] Official web site
* [http://www.chl.ca/ Canadian Hockey League] Official web site