Six Nights Of Orange

If there's one thing you should know while reading this blog, it's that I, Teebz, am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV. I'm not even qualified to give anyone tap water when they're thirsty, but I do know that the medical professionals across North America save a lot of lives each and every day with their talents and knowledge. What might get lost in the shuffle is that there are a lot of good organizations raising funds for research and assistance for a number of maladies and diseases that affect people, and it's always nice to see the hockey world lend its support when it comes to giving these groups a bigger stage. The ECHL's Fort Wayne Komets did that tonight, and they'll give five more nights to a great organization doing amazing things while wearing the most orange jerseys I have ever seen!

The Komets have opted to play six games as the Neon Orange Komets in an effort to help raise awareness and funds for the National Kidney Foundation of Indiana as they look to "Shine A Light On Kidney Disease"! The bright orange jerseys will be worn on six nights this season by the Komets, and these game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off during the March 27th game to help raise money for the NKFI and kidney patients across Indiana! How awesome is that?

Kudos go out to the Komets for raising awareness about kidney disease as some 35.5 million American adults are estimated to have kidney disease, and 2.4% of Americans over the age of 18 will be diagnosed with kidney disease. Worldwide, an estimated 1.5 million people died from kidney disease in 2023, and 1473 of those people were from Indiana. It's the eighth-leading cause of death in the United States, and around 90% of people usually don't know they have it while 40% severe kidney disease don’t know they have it. Clearly, it needs some attention.

I will say that these jerseys are very bright based on the photo of Komets forward Austin Magera, but they do pop against the white boards and ice. I could use a white stripe on the jersey to break up all that bright orange, but this jersey accomplishes its goal of being the most orange jersey ever on Neon Orange Night. It's all for a good cause to raise some important funds, though, so there's no ripping on Fort Wayne's jerseys in this article. They're bright, they're bold, they're fun, and they are awesome!

As mentioned, the Komets will wear these jerseys five more times after tonight's games as they look to raise awareness and money for the National Kidney Foundation of Indiana. Those nights include:

• November 22 vs Kalamazoo Wings
• December 13 vs Kalamazoo Wings
• December 27 vs Toledo Walleye
• Janaury 16 vs Bloomington Bison
• February 7 vs Toledo Walleye
• March 27 vs Bloomington Bison

I'm a little disappointed that only three ECHL teams will get to witness the orange jerseys worn by the Komets in these games, but there may be a reason for this. Both Toledo and Kalamazoo are less than two hours from Fort Wayne, so there's a chance that some of their fans may follow their teams to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum for those games as the Komets have solid rivalries with those two teams. Bloomington, like Fort Wayne, is in Indiana, so there might be hope to draw a few of their fans for an in-state battle while raising funds that helps people in both Indiana cities.

If the Komets do what they did in the game against Kalamazoo tonight, a lot of local fans will head home happy. Magera and Blake Murray scored in the second period before Hunter Strand made it 2-1 early in the third period. That would be as close as the Wings got, however, as Dru Krebs scored just before the midway point of the period, and Connor Ungar stopped 31 shots to secure the 3-1 victory! I guess you could say that the Wings got orange-crushed in this game!

Terrible jokes aside, it's hard not to have your eyes drawn towards that bright orange colour that Connor Ungar wore tonight. I'm not saying that the Komets won the psychological battle with these neon orange jerseys, but I'm also NOT not saying that either. What I am saying loud and clear is that the Komets deserve some kudos for bringing awareness and raising funds for an important organization in Indiana.

You have five more times to see the most orange jerseys of all-time this season before fans will get a chance to take them home on March 27, 2026. My hope is that each of the game-worn jerseys sell for $1000 or more so the Komets can present a cheque to the National Kidney Foundation of Indiana for $25,000 to help fight kidney disease.

However, knowing that 12 people die every day while on a waiting list for a kidney transplant should be more than enough reason to cheer on the Komets when they take the ice in bright orange this season.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!