Kitchener Rangers The Kitchener Rangers are a major 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 . They are also one of the most successful CHL teams in terms of NHL alumni with over 140 players including Mike Richards , Dale Hunter , David Clarkson , Steve Mason , Derek Roy , Steve Downie , 2011 Calder Trophy winner Jeff Skinner , 2012 Calder Trophy winner Gabriel Landeskog , and Hall of Famers Scott Stevens , Bill Barber , Paul Coffey , Larry Robinson and Al MacInnis . History . The roots of the Kitchener Rangers are traced back to the 1947 – 48 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 . They would also replace the Kitchener - Waterloo Beavers who were an Eastern Professional Hockey League and Rangers ' farm team that the Rangers had moved to the Baltimore Clippers of the American Hockey League The team moved into the Kitchener Auditorium for the start of the 1963 – 64 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 . When 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 . The 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 . Kitchener 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 , Mike Eagles 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 Quebec 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 , Quebec . 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 Bellows score a hat trick , leading the Rangers to a 7 - 4 victory , winning its first Memorial Cup . Kitchener 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 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 5 , 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 remainder of the decade was lacklustre for Kitchener . The team managed three winning seasons with their best season coming in 1997 . Kitchener reached the third round , but lost to a familiar foe in six games to Oshawa . 1997 was also the only season in the 90 ' s where the Rangers won their division . This feat was accomplished on during the last game of the season , a 2 - 2 tie against the Guelph Storm , who could have overtaken the Rangers with a win . Rookie netminder Shawn Degagne , with the league ' s best goals against average for a freshman that season . The 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 – 03 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 Quebec 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 was the OHL Executive of the Year for the 2002 - 03 season . Since 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 – 08 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 . Ben Fanelli incident . On October 30 , 2009 , defenceman Ben Fanelli received a check from Erie Otters forward Michael Liambas . As Liambas checked Fanelli into the boards behind the Rangers net , Fanelli ' s head hit a metal partition in the glass , breaking and knocking off his helmet . Fanelli lay unconscious while twitching and foaming at the mouth before being rushed to hospital in critical condition with skull and orbital bone fractures . Fanelli was released from Hamilton General Hospital a week later on November 6 . Liambas was suspended for the remainder of the season and the playoffs by OHL commissioner David Branch , who cited the speed and distance to which Liambas skated to deliver the check , as well as the severity of Fanelli ' s injuries . He commented that the suspension was responding to a " need to take strong steps to . . . send out the message to all our players and minor hockey players that we have to be . . . more respectful of our opponent . " Fanelli returned to the Rangers nearly two years later , recovering from a brain injury to rejoin his old squad in September 2011 . In March , 2011 , Fanelli began a charity which he called " Head Strong . " It is based on Lance Armstrong ' s " Livestrong " campaign and raises awareness regarding brain injuries both in and outside of sport . As well , Head Strong looks to raise funds for the Brain Injury Association of Canada . Fanelli began selling T - shirts after the launch of Head Strong . He is also selling bracelets beginning on November 16 , 2012 . In May , 2015 , Fanelli had a tryout to become an OHL referee . 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 . 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 . " Players . Honoured numbers . he Rangers do not retire numbers ( except for # 1 which is dedicated to the fans ) but choose to honour numbers instead ; hanging banners from the rafters while still having them in use for present players . Honoured numbers include : < / td > < / tr > < / table > NHL alumni . The Rangers have 145 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 . Yearly results . Regular season . Legend : OTL = Overtime loss , SL = Shootout loss Lost to London Knights 4 games to 0 in conference semi - finals . 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 1992 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 . 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 . In 2007 / 2008 over 500 seats were added to accommodate larger crowds for the 2008 Memorial Cup . The Complex includes Centennial Stadium for football ( demolished spring 2013 ) , Jack Couch Park for baseball , the Kiwanis and Kinsmen arenas and the main Auditorium arena . 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 .