The Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers are keeping a tradition going with the newest edition of their special edition Remembrance Day jerseys, which this year mark the 80th anniversary of possibly the most decisive battle of the Second World War.
The Rangers unveiled the jerseys on their website and social media accounts on Friday, November 8, making this the 19th straight season the team has produced a Remembrance Day jersey. This year’s edition commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Normandy — better known as D-Day — which took place on June 6, 1944.
The base of the jersey is royal blue, with grey, red and white stripes around each sleeve and the waist. The front of the jersey features a shield “based on imagery of soldiers entering the battle on the beaches of Normandy,” according to the Rangers’ website. Above the blue soldier rushing off a landing craft is the inscription “1944-2024”, while three red maple leaves swirl around the soldier.
The 1944 Battle of Normandy was one of the pivotal events of the Second World War and the scene of some of Canada’s greatest feats of arms. Canadian sailors, soldiers and airmen played a critical role in the Allied invasion of Normandy, also called Operation Overlord, beginning the bloody campaign to liberate Western Europe from Nazi occupation. Nearly 150,000 Allied troops landed or parachuted into the invasion area on D-Day, including 14,000 Canadians at Juno Beach. The Royal Canadian Navy contributed 124 vessels and 10,000 sailors and the Royal Canadian Air Force contributed 39 squadrons to the operation. Total Allied casualties on D-Day reached more than 10,000, including 1,096 Canadians, of whom 381 were killed in action. By the end of the Battle of Normandy, the Allies had suffered 209,000 casualties, including more than 18,700 Canadians. Over 5,000 Canadian soldiers died.
A poppy sits on the left chest of the jersey as a symbol of remembrance honoring armed forces personnel who have died in conflict. The left shoulder has a “D-DAY 80” logo while the Rangers’ primary logo sits on the right shoulder.
The jersey was pictured with blue pants, gloves and helmets in photos released with Friday’s announcement. The socks are also blue with the same striping as found on the sleeves.
The Rangers will wear their Remembrance Day jerseys tonight (Friday, November 8) when they host the Soo Greyhounds at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. It’s their only home game this Remembrance Day weekend, as they visit the Owen Sound Attack on Saturday and the Oshawa Generals on Sunday.
Rangers fans can purchase game-worn Remembrance Day jerseys through a silent auction that will run throughout Friday’s game. Five of the jerseys will also be available for auction online through DASH. Proceeds from both auctions will benefit the 78th Fraser Highlanders Fort Conestoga Garrison and the Kitchener-Waterloo Poppy Fund.