Kitchener Rangers 2002-03 Season
Inducted In
2004
From left to right
Row 1
Carlo Di Rienzo, Gregory Campbell, Steve Spott, Steve Bienkowski, Derek Roy, Ted Scharf, Peter DeBoer, Steve Eminger, Scott Dickie, Jim Brown
Row 2
Tayler Hill, Rolly Fortin, Michael Richards, Chad McCaffrey, Thomas Harrison, Rafal Martynowski, Petr Kanko, Nathan O’Nabigon, Marcus Smith, Adam Keefe, Andre Benoit, T.J. Eason, Matt Grennier, Dan Lebold
Row 3
Brad Sparkes, Jesse Boucher, Matt Manias, Nick Duff, Paul McFarland, David Clarkson, Evan McGrath, George Halkidis, Neil Hoch, Jeff Young
The 2002-03 season in Kitchener Rangers history is one to remember.
After an impressive regular season that saw the Rangers finish as the Ontario Hockey League’s number one team with a record of 46 wins, 14 losses, 5 ties and 3 over-time losses, the Rangers moved on to post-season play.
In four playoff series the Rangers eliminated the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in four games before moving on to eliminate the Guelph Storm in five games. Following that, they defeated the Plymouth Whalers in seven games in the Western Conference final and finally the Ottawa 67s in five games to capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup as champions of the OHL. With the victory, the Rangers secured a berth in the Memorial Cup Tournament in Quebec City.
While at the Memorial Cup, the Rangers cruised through round-robin play with a perfect 3-0 record. The round-robin included a win over the host Remparts Québec in the opening game, followed by wins over the Kelowna Rockets and the Olympiques Gatineau.
With the perfect 3-0 record, the Rangers earned a buy into the Championship game against the Olympiques Gatineau, champions of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In the final game the Rangers were not to be denied, winning in convincing fashion 6 to 3 before a sold-out crowd of more than 15,000.
As newly crowned kings of junior hockey, the Rangers had five players named to the Memorial Cup All Star Team: Gregory Campbell, Scott Dickie, Steve Eminger, Michael Richards and Derek Roy. Campbell led all scorers in the tournament with seven points in four games and Roy was named MVP of the tournament.
Photo – Forde Studio