City hosting Kitchener Rangers pep rally to celebrate the OHL champs

Kitchener Rangers Celebrate

The City of Kitchener is calling on all Rangers fans to come out and celebrate the OHL’s newest champions.

A free pep rally will be held at Carl Zehr Square at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, before the team heads west for the Memorial Cup.

“The Rangers are going to come and there’ll be an opportunity for us to congratulate the players and also send them off with the support and cheers of an entire city, coming out to wish them well,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.

The Blueshirts are fresh off Tuesday’s big win, where they swept the Barrie Colts in four games, securing their spot as OHL champions for the first time in 18 years. It was also the fifth win in franchise history.

“I think it’s fair to say that everybody’s been captured by Rangers fever,” Vrbanovic said. “Everywhere you go, people were talking about the Rangers [and] the incredible run that they’ve had this season.”

The Rangers will represent the OHL at the Memorial Cup in Kelowna, B.C., which runs from May 21 to May 31. Their first game is on Friday, May 22 at 6 p.m. PST and 9 p.m. EST.

Vrbanovic said, because the games start so late, the city won’t be hosting watch parties for the Memorial Cup – at least to start.

“But we are looking ahead to that championship game on the 31st. [With] fingers crossed, and a lot of luck, we’ll be there and we’ll be looking to doing a celebration as part of that as well.”