The Rangers are one of six teams in the Canadian Hockey League (Moose Jaw Warriors, Swift Current Broncos, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Peterborough Petes) that are publicly owned.

They are one of the most successful Canadian Hockey League teams in terms of alumni with over 180 players and coaches going on to serve in the NHL including Gabriel Landeskog, Jeff Skinner, Radek Faksa, John Gibson, Nazem Kadri, Mike Richards, David Clarkson, Steve Mason, Derek Roy and Peter DeBoer.

Five of their alumni have gone on to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame: Scott Stevens, Bill Barber, Paul Coffey, Larry Robinson and Al MacInnis.

The Kitchener Rangers franchise was inaugurated ahead of the 1947–48 Ontario Hockey Association season as the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters.

Based in nearby Guelph, Ontario, the Biltmore Mad Hatters were a farm team for the National Hockey League's New York Rangers.

On Tuesday, October 1, 1963, the Rangers' first coach, Steve Brklacich, welcomed a 54-player roster of training camp hopefuls just two weeks prior to the home opener.

The team's first regular season game featured the Rangers and the visiting St. Catharines Black Hawks on Tuesday, October 15, 1963 which dressed the likes of league All-Stars Dennis Hull and Doug Jarrett.

The Rangers were successful promoting the team in the community, drawing high attendance despite a poor first season in the standings which finished with a record of 9-41-6 (W-L-T).

They played in the Finals again, but this time losing a close series 4 games to 3 with a tie, to the eventual Memorial Cup champion Niagara Falls Flyers.

In 1973–74, the Rangers finished first in the OHA for their third Hamilton Spectator Trophy in eight years in large part due to the goalkeeping of Don Edwards, who had the league's lowest goals against average.

The Rangers went on to face Cornwall in the tournament final but dropped a 5-2 decision to the Royals, who would win their second consecutive Memorial Cup.

The Rangers faced off against the Ottawa 67's, coached by Brian Kilrea, in the league final and claimed their second straight J. Ross Robertson Cup with a 4–0 series victory, including one tie.

The final game drew 4,091 spectators who saw Bellows score a hat trick and add two assists, propelling the Rangers to a 7–4 victory and their first Memorial Cup championship.

Marie Greyhounds for the third consecutive year in the playoffs but this time the Hounds won the series, 4–2 with one tie, eliminating the Blueshirts from post-season play.

They defeated the Niagara Falls Thunder in the third round, 4–1, setting up a final vs. an Oshawa Generals team which featured Eric Lindros (17 goals, 36 points in 25 games).

The Rangers took a 3–1 series lead before the Generals won three straight games en route to the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions.

The Dukes of Hamilton were slated to host the tournament, but due to af poor start to their season they finished last place in the league (11-49-6).

After missing the playoffs for the second time in three years (1998–99 and 2000–01), the team fired general manager Jamie McDonald, who earlier released Jess Snyder of his duties as head coach.

The team, which featured the likes of Mike Richards, Derek Roy, Gregory Campbell and David Clarkson, began the season three losses and a tie in their first four games.

The Gatineau Olympiques - featuring forwards Claude Giroux, Matthew Pistilli and Paul Byron - were the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champions.

On October 30, 2009, 16-year-old rookie defenceman Ben Fanelli was hit from behind by 20-year-old overage forward Michael Liambis of the Erie Otters at a high speed behind the Rangers' net.

The hit, which came at the 7:52 mark of the second period, occurred with such force that it caused Fanelli's helmet to fly off before his head struck a glass partition at the Zamboni entrance.

He would suffer a fractured skull and orbital bone and was immediately airlifted to Hamilton General Hospital where he was placed in intensive care.

The team slipped to fourth in the western conference standings in 2012–13 but advanced to Round 2 of the playoffs after a 4–1 series win over the Guelph Storm.

Down 2–1 in their opening round playoff series vs. the Owen Sound Attack, Rangers goaltender Luke Opilka made 64 saves on 70 shots in Game 4.

Prior to the 2017–18 season the team acquired defenceman, Memorial Cup champion and Waterloo native, Logan Stanley, from the Windsor Spitfires.

The centre was tragically killed in the early morning hours of July 29, 1972 in a head-on collision on Highway 7, eleven kilometers west of Stratford.

The left winger was tragically killed in May 1980, after his red Ford Pinto was hit by an oncoming vehicle along Highway 9 near Teviotdale while he was a member of the Rangers.

Five alumni have been elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame: Bill Barber, Paul Coffey, Al MacInnis, Larry Robinson and Scott Stevens.

Over the 2012 off-season, The Aud was once again expanded with the addition of close to 1,000 seats, as well as an upper concourse and improvements to team dressing rooms and business offices.