The Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers continued a long-standing tradition over the weekend with the latest edition of their Remembrance Day jerseys.
The Rangers donned the 20th edition of their Remembrance Day jerseys on Sunday, November 9, when they hosted the Kingston Frontenacs at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium — the team’s last home game before the holiday.
This time around, the Rangers marked the 110th anniversary of the Second Battle of Ypres in the First World War, which was fought in April and May of 1915 and was the first time poison gas attacks were used in the war. It also honoured the poem “In Flanders Fields,” which Canadian medical officer Lt.-Col. John McCrae wrote in 1915 after serving in the Second Battle of Ypres and other operations. The poem remains a poignant reminder of the horrors of war and a staple of Remembrance Day ceremonies to this day.
The crest on the front of the Rangers’ latest jerseys ties directly into the Second Battle of Ypres. It depicts the St. Julien Canadian Memorial in Langemark, Belgium, which is also known as “The Brooding Soldier.” Sitting inside a navy blue circle on the front of the light grey jersey, the monument is surrounded by red poppies “symbolizing McCrae’s timeless words and the enduring spirit of remembrance.”
Another red poppy sits on the left chest, over the player’s heart. Captain’s and alternate captain’s letters sit below the poppy. The shoulders are navy blue with a white outline, and navy blue and white stripes run around the sleeves and waist. The collar is light grey with a navy blue insert at the front. Names and numbers on the back and sleeves are single-layer navy blue.
The right shoulder has the Rangers’ primary logo, while a special maple leaf patch sits on the left shoulder. It has the number “110” inside, and the top of the leaf is shaped like a torch in direct reference to a line in “In Flanders Fields”: To you from failing hands we throw / The torch; be yours to hold it high.
Game-worn and game-issued jerseys are currently being auctioned off online through DASH, with bids closing at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 12. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the the 78th Fraser Highlanders Fort Conestoga Garrison and the Kitchener-Waterloo Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund.
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