Kitchener Rangers win the Memorial Cup
Posted May 31, 2026 11:22:21 PM.
Last Updated Jun 1, 2026 11:25:03 AM.
It’s the end of the line for a team that has etched its name into the history books.
The Kitchener Rangers have been crowned Memorial Cup Champions following a 6-2 win over the Everett Silvertips on Sunday.
It’s the Rangers’ third Memorial Cup title in franchise history.
The Blueshirts were perfect throughout the 11-day tournament in Kelowna, British Columbia, going a perfect 4-0 en route to the championship.
“To win this, it’s a hard trophy to win, and how we did it, it’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Ahokas, who became the first European head coach to win the Memorial Cup on the same day his home country of Finland won the world men’s hockey championship. “Proud moment, of course, and maybe I might open up some doors for some other European coaches who might come over. So it’s big.”
The Rangers have ended an 18-year drought at this tournament, with Captain Cameron Reid hoisting the trophy in Rangers blue, red, and white for the first time since 2003.
Billed as a battle of the favourites from the outset, Kitchener proved to be the class of the Canadian Hockey League this year — sweeping Barrie to win the OHL and earning a bye to the final by running the table in round-robin play, also downing the QMJHL champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens 3-2.
Rangers forward Sam O’Reilly capped off one of the most dominant junior hockey seasons by hoisting the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the Memorial Cup MVP, adding to his cabinet, which also includes being named regular-season and playoff MVP.
“Unreal. I can’t say enough about him,” Ahokas said of O’Reilly, a first-round pick who was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Tampa Bay Lightning last off-season. “He’ll play in the NHL next year. An unbelievable player to coach.”
O’Reilly and Woolley repeated as Memorial Cup champions, also winning last year with the London Knights before being acquired at the January trade deadline to put this Kitchener club over the top. London knocked Kitchener out of the playoffs en route to winning OHL titles the two previous seasons.
The Silvertips were trying to avenge Monday’s loss by the same score, which was Everett’s only other blemish of the tournament — previously defeating Chicoutimi 5-3, then rebounding to beat Kelowna 4-0 before blowing out Chicoutimi 6-1 in their rematch during Friday’s semifinal to earn another shot at Kitchener in the championship final.
“They were built to win. A mature team,” said Everett head coach Steve Hamilton, also acknowledging the impact of O’Reilly and Woolley as veteran ringers. “You add players with that kind of experience at the deadline and bring them into the fold. They were built for this. I can’t sit here and say that we could have done anything miraculously different.
“They’re deserving champions. I have all kinds of respect for the way they played. They were very, very professional in the way they handled this tournament.”
Now comes the celebration in Kitchener, as the Bueshirts get on a plane back to Ontario.
The City of Kitchener is planning a victory celebration and parade downtown for Tuesday, June 2, at 6 p.m.
“Rangers fans are encouraged to line King Street, as the parade proceeds to Kitchener City Hall, where a special Memorial Cup Championship celebration will take place,” reads a release.
More information on the celebration is expected to be released Monday.
With files from Sportsnet.
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