The 4 Robertson Cup Victories of the Kitchener Rangers

The Kitchener Rangers have been to the Robertson Cup finals eight times and have won the championship on four occasions. The team began play in the OHL for the 1963-64 season after moving from Guelph where they were know as the Royals, and before that the Biltmore Mad Hatters. The first time they won the Robertson Cup was in 1980-81 and the latest championship came in 2007-08.

In 1980-81, the Rangers were an unlikely victor. The team finished the regular season with a 34-33-1 record for 69 points. They scored just one more goal than they allowed. Kitchener finished 27 points behind the first overall Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The team was led by future NHL greats Brian Bellows and Al MacInnis.

The Rangers beat out the Niagara Falls Flyers nine points to five in the quarter-finals. The semi-finals saw them take out the Windsor Spitfires, nine points to one. In the Robertson Cup finals, Kitchener beat the favoured Greyhounds nine points to three. At the Memorial Cup, held in Windsor, the Rangers lost to the Cornwall Royals 8-2 in the final.

The following year, 1981-82, the Kitchener Rangers won the Robertson Cup again. This time, the team finished the regular season with 91 points, five behind the Ottawa 67’s for first overall. The team swept the Windsor Spitfires in the quarter-finals and beat out the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds nine points to three in the semis. The Rangers handily beat the Ottawa 67’s in the Robertson Cup final, nine points to one.

The Rangers, once again led by Brian Bellows and Al MacInnis, with Scott Stevens added to the mix, moved on to win the Memorial Cup held in Hull, Quebec. Kitchener beat the Sherbrooke Castors in the Memorial Cup final, 7-4.

Over two decades passed before the Rangers won the Robertson Cup again. In 2002-03, Kitchener took the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as the first overall team in the OHL with 100 points. In the conference quarter-finals, the Rangers swept the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In the Conference semis, the Guelph Storm managed one win against the Rangers. The Plymouth Whalers gave the Rangers the toughest go of the playoffs in the Conference final, taking them to seven games. In the Robertson Cup finals, Kitchener took the Ottawa 67’s in five games.

The 2002-03 Rangers, led by Mike Richards, Derek Roy and Gregory Campbell won the 2003 Memorial Cup, held in Quebec City. Kitchener beat the Hull Olympiques in the Memorial Cup final, 6-3.

The latest Robertson Cup victory for the Kitchener Rangers came in 2007-08. The team once again won the Hamilton Spectator Trophy with 110 points. The point total was the highest in team history. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, Kitchener swept the Plymouth Whalers and Sarnia Sting. In the Conference final, the Rangers beat the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in five games. In the Robertson Cup final, the Belleville Bulls took the Rangers to the seventh game before Kitchener was victorious.

The 2007-08 Kitchener Rangers were led by Justin Azevedo (OHL Top Scorer), Nazem Kadri, and standout goaltender Steve Mason. The Rangers hosted the Memorial Cup and made it to the final game. Unfortunately, the Spokane Chiefs dominated, winning the final 4-1.