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!

Yeah, About That Statement...

The 1990s were an interesting time for the NHL. The Penguins won Stanley Cups at the start of the decade, Montreal won Canada's last Stanley Cup during that decade, the Rangers and Devils had their moments, and the Red Wings, Stars, and Avalanche were in an arms race as the decade finished as all won Stanley Cups as well. Wayne Gretzky was traded for the second time, Mario Lemieux retired, Patrick Roy was traded, and NHL expansion exploded. On the ice, teams were coming up with alternate, third jerseys they could wear, and the one worn by Alexei Zhamnov above was what the Chicago Blackhawks opted to introduce in 1996.

I've always found that black jerseys take away from a team's identity more than it adds. A few teams - Boston, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, and Los Angeles - have black as a major part of their colour schemes, so it works as a jersey colour for those teams. Other teams have worn black, but the Toronto Maple Leafs look better in blue than they do in black. The same goes for the Flames and Hurricanes in red, the Sharks in teal, the Islanders in their blue, and the Flyers in orange.

That brings me to the Chicago Blackhawks and their red jerseys versus their black jerseys. People say "the colour is in their name so they should wear it", but I don't think it has the same effect as "Red Wings" or "Blue Jackets" when it comes to how the Blackhawks were named. After all, Nashville has "red" in their name, and no one is begging for the Predators to wear red jerseys. Makes no sense, right?

I'll circle back to the Blackhawks' colour choices in a second, but they released a statement on social media that caught my attention today.

That statement above is in regards to their black alternate jersey they wore from 1996-2007, and it makes me wonder if this apparent demand is due to recency bias because the Blackhawks have worn outstanding jerseys in the past that are infintely better than their black alternate jerseys. There's 100 years of hockey history, and black has been the "the most requested jersey" in franchise history?

Look, you can put Connor Bedard in lighting that makes him look more menacing, but he's still the same guy no matter what colour the jersey is. There's nothing new or exceptional about these jerseys, the era from which they've been plucked saw the Blackhawks miss the playoff nine times, the team broke the 90-point mark just once, and most of their stars were traded or left via free agency for greener pastures. What makes these black jerseys so in-demand that the Blackhawks felt compelled to bring them back?

If you had asked me what jersey should be worn as an alternate, I'm immediately going to the NHL's 75th anniversary jersey that the Blackhawks wore in 1991-92 that was based off the jersey worn by the Black Hawks from 1937 until 1955. That 1991-92 team was emerging as a force with the likes of Jeremy Roenick, Steve Larmer, Michel Goulet, Chris Chelios, and Ed Belfour leading the way while having four players with 234 PIMs or more on their roster. That Blackhawks team was fast, skilled, tough, and hungry, and that led them to the 1992 Stanley Cup Final - a place they hadn't been since 1971.

How is this jersey not better in every way than the boring black jersey that the Blackhawks claim everyone loves? The actual colours of the Blackhawks are used, the striping is unmatched, and the Blackhawks actually won a championship wearing this design. Sure, they also missed the playoffs eleven times, but there's more success in this jersey than the plain black jersey from the turn of the millennium, so why aren't they celebrating the eras where good things happened? For a sport that emphasizes winning, Chicago is bringing back the alternate from one of their worst eras?

Again, whether it's recency bias or just some marketing line that the team is using, the Chicago Blackhawks brought back "the most requested jersey" in franchise history by announcing today that the black jerseys are back for this season. Of course, maybe that's for the best since the Blackhawks seem to be angling for a wild card spot in the playoffs, at best, in a tough Central Division, and that's assuming they don't miss the playoffs altogether for the ninth-straight season.

Regardless of what this season brings for the Blackhawks, there's one constant that they seem to hold dear: primarily black jerseys will once again be worn by a mediocre Blackhawks team. Save the marketing spins where this jersey is described as "a visual upgrade that amplifies everything that makes the Blackhawks visually iconic" because the reality is that the Chicago Blackhawks have been historically mediocre when they've worn primarily black sweaters or jerseys. That might be the one tradition the Blackhawks celebrate more than any other with these jerseys, and they're doing it again.

Enjoy your black jerseys, Chicago fans. Just don't plan any parades.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 687

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back in the studio tonight with a number of guests joining us to talk about a sport that only seems to get mentioned when the Olympics roll around every four years. Despite the successes of the national and provincial teams, sledge hockey or parahockey never quite gets the spotlight that stand-up hockey does, so our hosts thought it was time to get everyone up to speed about what's happening in Manitoba and nationally with the sport! Our guests are making an impact on the ice and in the boardroom, so we'll get their experiences on the entire sledge hockey scene tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason are proud, honoured, privileged, humbled, and pleased to welcome the three smiling faces to the left. They would be Sledge Hockey Manitoba Vice-President and Manitoba Junior Express coach Shay Hawthorn, Sledge Hockey Manitoba Intermediate Representative and Manitoba Intermediate Express coach Les McRae, and Manitoba Intermediate Express player Austin McRae! We'll talk to each of them about how they got into parahockey, what some of the challenges are that they face in growing the game, some of their successes as coaches and players, and where they need help when it comes to making the sport bigger and better in Manitoba. It should be an interesting, enlightening, and fun chat with Shay, Les, and Austin tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store. It's a solid app.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat with Shay Hawthorn, Les McRae, and Austin McRae about their parahockey experiences and successes, making the game better, the challenges moving forward, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: November 20, 2025: Episode 687

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

What's Being Celebrated?

There's no secret that the Winnipeg Jets' logo is based on that of the Royal Canadian Air Force. We know Jets' owner Mark Chipman sought permission to use a variation of the logo for the Jets' logo, the jersey unveiling came on the tarmac at 17 Wing Winnipeg, the local Canadian Air Force Base in Winnipeg, where the players emerged down the ramp of a Hercules aircraft. They've worn a jersey to honour the RCAF as an alternate jersey in 2023-24 for the RCAF Centennial, so anyone who wants to say that Winnipeg's NHL team doesn't have military ties is missing all the evidence. For some reason, though, that military theme has now spilled over to the other hockey tenant at Canada Life Centre.

The AHL's Manitoba Moose play in the same rink as the Jets do, and the Moose have some decent jerseys that were made better with the inclusion of the baby blue Moose jersey that has the throwback logo. Frankly, I feel this alternate jersey should be used more often, and I've always been a fan of that throwback, cartoonish logo. I still have multiple IHL Manitoba Moose jerseys with that logo on them.

On Wednesday, November 26, the Jets won't be in town to celebrate some history as they'll be in Washington, DC to play the Capitals, but the Manitoba Moose will be at Canada Life Centre to host the Belleville Senators. On that night, the Moose will wear the logo and jersey seen below despite there being no significance to the date.

I'll break down the jerseys a little further below, but I'm confused as to why the Manitoba Moose are wearing these specialty jerseys to commemorate the 100th anniversary of CFB Winnipeg when it appears that there's no significance to the date for CFB Winnipeg?

According to RCAF Info, the Canadian military established an aviation wing in Winnipeg with "formation of No. 1 Canadian Wing Royal Air Force in 1918". That Canadian Wing Royal Air Force base lasted in name until 1968 when the RCAF "adopted a new organization structured on the Base Concept". As you can see 1925 hasn't been part of CFB Winnipeg's history outside of existing for that year, but April 1, 1924 did mark the official founding of the Canadian Air Force which was celebrated by the Jets with the RCAF Centennial jersey.

Weird history aside, these Moose jersey actually look really good. The light gray, thick stripe across the chest, back, and sleeves gives good contrast to both the white jersey and the darker numbers and intricate logo, and the light blue, thin stripes accentuating the thick gray stripe add a splash of colour to tie the jersey's features together. The light blue collar breaks up the white across the chest, and the only improvement I would have made would have been a light gray shoulder yoke with the light blue stripe and white gap between the two contrast colours.

The back of the jersey is easy to read as well, and my only complaint is the CCM logo and underlines being in blue. They should have been in the light gray colour to blend into the jersey as opposed to pulling one's eyes up from the name and number. I get that CCM made these jerseys, but that shouldn't be the focal point when viewing the back.

I'll give credit where credit is due in saying that the Moose designed a solid jersey. Again, I'm puzzled by how they achieved the math to honour CFB Winnipeg's 100th anniversary, but the jersey in which they'll celebrate that anniversary should look good on the ice next Wednesday when they face the Belleville Senators. Maybe they'll explain how they arrived at the 100th anniversary that night?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Is This A Birthday Suit?

When the SPHL's Huntsville Havoc announced that they were changing their logos for this season, I wasn't sure what to expect. After all, how does one design "Havoc" as a logo? While they had a somewhat tame logo for the last few seasons, I never expected them to go back to a cartoonish logo like the one to the left, but that's what they unveiled before the start of this season. Maybe it's more appealing to kids and families, but we're not here to talk about this logo because the Huntsville Havoc may have just set a new standard in jersey design with their birthday jersey for their mascot, Chaos. It's a beauty!

As you know, I'm all for minor-league hockey teams having some fun with their jerseys when appropriate. I was a big fan of the effort given by the Hershey Bears when they came up with the "Screaming Bear" jerseys that they wore on Sunday for the first time, winning in overtime by a 2-1 score over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. I didn't think any jerseys would come close to the wink-and-nod that the Bears were giving to their NHL affiliate in the Washington Capitals, but the Huntsville Havoc may have done them one better.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is Chaos' birthday jersey for his birthday party, taking place on January 30, 2026 against the Peoria Rivermen.

Holy moly, is that an awesome take on the Wild Wing jerseys worn by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks! The Ducks brought the Wild Wing back for their Reverse Retro jersey in 2021, but it never quite felt like it had the same punch as the original Wild Wing jerseys that were worn in 1995-96. However, seeing the cartoonish face of Chaos and the alterations for his wolf features on this Havoc recreation of the Wild Wing jersey might just be the best jersey seen across all leagues!

"But Teebz," I hear you saying, "these are still awful jerseys," and you'd be right, but they're awful for an NHL team because of how cartoonish they are. For a minor-league hockey team, these are fantastic beause they look so minor-league in their design. Having the Havoc adopt this jersey design is an awesome idea, and whoever came up with this idea deserves some sort of bonus or promotion!

Perhaps the best part of this jersey is that you can get one of your own! The Havoc are taking pre-sale purchases for Chaos birthday jerseys through November 24, so you can't wait long if you want one of these for your closet. I'd be all over this if they were selling on-ice jerseys, but I dislike replica jerseys of any kind, even if they are awesome like these ones. I guess I'll miss out on this one.

There is a game-style jersey available on the Dash auctions site, but I'm not in a financial position to spend more than $800 USD on a jersey of any kind. Heck, I wouldn't spend $800 on a trip to the state of New Jersey, let alone spending it on a a polyester sweater. As stated, I'm missing out on what could be the best jersey this year.

Feel free to leave your comments about this jersey below because I'm interested in your view on this iteration of the Wild Wing jersey. I've seen teams celebrate their mascots' birthdays before, but I don't think I've ever seen a team come up with an idea like the Havoc did for Chaos' birthday. It makes me wonder what they may have in store for their other mascot, Ruckus, when his birthday hits the calendar!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!