Kitchener Rangers and fans come together for Memorial Cup celebration

Playing null of undefined

Hundreds of fans celebrate Kitchener Rangers' Memorial Cup win

Kitchener Rangers Captain Cameron Reid thanks fans

Hundreds of people, decked out in their best blue, red and white, packed into Carl Zehr Square in downtown Kitchener to celebrate a huge win for the Kitchener Rangers.

Following a stellar showing in the OHL, the Kitchener Rangers were undefeated at the Memorial Cup in Kelowna B.C. and brought the trophy home for the first time in 23 years.

The sun was shining brightly as fans descended on the downtown core, eager to show their support for their hometown hockey heroes. As the players stepped off the bus, the energy was already palpable.

“This is a team that has done so much over its history for the community,” Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said ahead of a parade to celebrate the win. “From its support of Kitchener Minor Hockey, organizations like KW Oktoberfest for their 50^th anniversary, community charities through Rangers’ Reach. I think over this past season we’ve seen the community give back to a team that has given so much to the community.”

Fans young and old lined the parade route along King Street, waving to the team as they proudly walked to city hall with a special Kitchener Fire Department escort.

“It’s a dream come true,” Kitchener Rangers’ forward Dylan Edwards told CTV News. “This city’s been waiting a long time to see this and to have it in these streets for all these people out here, it’s unbelievable. It’s such a cool experience.”

The players sported black Memorial Cup shirts and crisp white champions’ hats.

“All these guys here are my brothers for the rest of my life,” Edwards said. “Mem Cup champions and no one can take that away from us. We grew together. We grew as a team and from here on out, we’re family.”

As the parade approached Carl Zehr Square, fans stepped in behind the community-owned team, marching together as one.

Once the players finally arrived at the celebration hub, they stood under a cloud of confetti while the Golden Keys played ‘We Are the Champions.’

Captain Cameron Reid stepped up to the mic to raucous applause.

“Wow! You guys are amazing!” he said, surveying the tightly packed mass of supporters. “All year long, and right here especially, this is awesome.”

“You look around, you see every single guy, whether they had a big impact, small impact and everything in between, this is a group of guys that I call winners,” Reid grinned. “But it’s not just about winning. This is the best group of characters you can have, from players to coaching and the staff, it’s everything you’d ever want. I’m so proud to call this group family and Memorial Cup champions.”

He went on to thank the fans for their unwavering dedication.

“When we got into playoffs we thought about you guys and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we went undefeated in playoffs at home,” Reid said. “I want to say thank you to you guys. Let’s go celebrate some more. Love you Kitchener!”

When General Manager Mike McKenzie spoke to the crowd, he also espoused the importance of such a loyal fanbase.

“This group of guys behind me is a special group. It’s a special group of players and it’s a special coaching staff and support staff and we have special fans too. All you guys out here – this win is for the community of Kitchener. It’s for the season ticket holder that’s been here for decades. It’s for the young kid who went to their first game this year and became a fan throughout this playoff run. It’s for everyone in between and everyone that’s came and supported us through the highs, the lows throughout the season and comes to the Aud every Friday night to cheer on these guys.”

But he also took time to acknowledge some of the disappointments over the season.

“On Nov. 19, I got a call from Joe Birch. Three o’clock in the afternoon. He told me we weren’t getting the 2027 Memorial Cup – it had been awarded to the Guelph Storm,” The crowd erupted into boos.

McKenzie paused thoughtfully for a moment before he continued.

“We took some time to think about it. We said, ‘Screw it. We’re going to go to Kelowna and get it this year!’”

The team capped off the celebrations by joining the Golden Keys for a rendition of ‘Don’t Stop Believing.’