Reimagining Superheroes as Hockey Teams #17 - Colorado Dragons (Dragon Ball)

[wildwing64]

Quote

Still hoping to see a Ghostbusters-themed team at some point! 

On 4/11/2024 at 6:23 PM, wildwing64 said:

I’m only planning three for the Big Apple, with the third and final being a Ninja Turtles team.

 

I've had a change of heart on this matter and will be adding a fourth team to New York; in other words, a Ghostbusters team is on the way!

 

I have a name in mind for that franchise; but with how I’ve done the New York teams so far, there is another that I have to get done first. It'll make sense when I get to them.

 

17. Colorado Dragons (Goku / Dragon Ball)

 

Name: The Uniondale Arena was seeking a tenant and the Devils’ ownership had no interest in going there, so the league awarded another franchise to New York. The newly formed Long Island Dragons - named by their Chinese ownership group who gave no apparent reason for the moniker - barely lasted a couple of years before falling victim to financial mismanagement and bankruptcy, which led to their sale and journey west to Denver, Colorado. The new owners kept the existing brand as the move happened with very little time before the then-upcoming season; they were in the process of creating a new identity, but scrapped those plans as soon as the team won a Cup in its first year as the Colorado Dragons.

 

Logo: A modernised rendition of their original crest, depicting Shenlong (aka the Divine Dragon) from Chinese mythology. The dragon’s antlers resemble a pair of hockey sticks, because of course they do.

 

Alternate Logo: The C and circle from the flag of Colorado. The circle contains six stars, borrowed from the State Seal.

 

Colours: Orange, blue and white. The Dragons proudly declare that orange signifies their offensive onslaughts while blue represents their maturity and grit, with white referencing the snow capped Rocky Mountains - but these were their colours in New York and they kept them when relocating.

 

Jerseys: Like the rest of their identity, the Dragons uniforms were carried over from Long Island - their current jerseys are slightly updated from what they once wore. The home sweater is orange with blue sleeves, and the road jersey is white and blue with somewhat less emphasis on their signature orange. Both uniforms use different sets of pants; orange at home and blue on the road.

 

Third Jersey: During the 90’s - and despite the popularity of their orange and blue uniforms - the Dragons rebranded with a new logo and jerseys featuring purple, black and red. Before long, fan outcry prompted them to switch back; however, they did keep the modernised dragon crest, recolouring it to match the original scheme. This jersey has since garnered a cult following and more recently was revived as an alternate uniform.

 

 

 

 

 

I haven’t engaged with the Dragon Ball franchise all that much and most of my knowledge of it comes from pop culture osmosis. That said, I chose Colorado as this team’s home as it reminded me of the mountainous settings that are often depicted in the anime and manga. After picking the location, taking the C from Colorado’s flag and turning the circle into a Dragon Ball was a no-brainer. In turn, I could base the uniforms on Goku’s orange and blue gi and basically make them the hockey Broncos. But what about the rest of the identity?

 

My first idea for the name was the Dragons. But then it occurred to me that Goku is based on Sun Wukong - aka the Monkey King, who is obviously not a dragon - so I also considered the Kings, but I didn’t feel like the name fit either the region or Goku himself. Then I thought back to the mountainous settings of the series, and the Rocky Mountains, and reviving the hockey Rockies similar to what I did with the Americans - but that felt too obvious, especially when the Avalanche have already called back to their predecessors in different ways. Finally I ended up circling back to the Dragons, after learning that the main hero cast is collectively known as the Dragon Team.

 

“But wait,” you may be wondering, “what do Dragons have to do with Colorado, or Long Island for that matter?” I dunno! This team’s backstory was inspired by the Islanders’ former co-tenants, the AFL’s New York Dragons, and when looking for the source of their name I got nothing. I always thought it might have come from the easternmost parts of Long Island vaguely resembling the open maw of a dragon or a crocodile… but probably not.

 

Anyway; the orange home uniform, again, is inspired by Goku’s orange and blue gi, and the road jersey is loosely based on Vegeta’s white and blue battle armour. I also I took cues from the Islanders’ initial Reebok Edge design, mostly swapping blue and orange around on the home uniform. The third jersey’s purple and red scheme was meant as a nod to Goku’s look in the original Dragon Ball, but then Gohan and Piccolo also wear these colours in Dragon Ball Z.

 

Finally then there is the primary logo which I based on Shenron, a recurring character and something of a series mascot for Dragon Ball - albeit in orange and blue instead of his usual green. As a way of paying homage to Dragon Ball’s other mascot and its main protagonist, I gave the dragon a mane reminiscent of Goku’s spiky hair. (FWIW: While I haven't drawn it, I imagine the Dragons' original logo would look something like this)

[johne9109]

2 hours ago, wildwing64 said:

 

I've had a change of heart on this matter and will be adding a fourth team to New York; in other words, a Ghostbusters team is on the way!

 

I have a name in mind for that franchise; but with how I’ve done the New York teams so far, there is another that I have to get done first. It'll make sense when I get to them.

 

17. Colorado Dragons (Goku / Dragon Ball)

 

Name: The Uniondale Arena was seeking a tenant and the Devils’ ownership had no interest in going there, so the league awarded another franchise to New York. The newly formed Long Island Dragons - named by their Chinese ownership group who gave no apparent reason for the moniker - barely lasted a couple of years before falling victim to financial mismanagement and bankruptcy, which led to their sale and journey west to Denver, Colorado. The new owners kept the existing brand as the move happened with very little time before the then-upcoming season; they were in the process of creating a new identity, but scrapped those plans as soon as the team won a Cup in its first year as the Colorado Dragons.

 

Logo: A modernised rendition of their original crest, depicting Shenlong (aka the Divine Dragon) from Chinese mythology. The dragon’s antlers resemble a pair of hockey sticks, because of course they do.

 

Alternate Logo: The C and circle from the flag of Colorado. The circle contains six stars, borrowed from the State Seal.

 

Colours: Orange, blue and white. The Dragons proudly declare that orange signifies their offensive onslaughts while blue represents their maturity and grit, with white referencing the snow capped Rocky Mountains - but these were their colours in New York and they kept them when relocating.

 

Jerseys: Like the rest of their identity, the Dragons uniforms were carried over from Long Island - their current jerseys are slightly updated from what they once wore. The home sweater is orange with blue sleeves, and the road jersey is white and blue with somewhat less emphasis on their signature orange. Both uniforms use different sets of pants; orange at home and blue on the road.

 

Third Jersey: During the 90’s - and despite the popularity of their orange and blue uniforms - the Dragons rebranded with a new logo and jerseys featuring purple, black and red. Before long, fan outcry prompted them to switch back; however, they did keep the modernised dragon crest, recolouring it to match the original scheme. This jersey has since garnered a cult following and more recently was revived as an alternate uniform.

 

 

 

 

 

I haven’t engaged with the Dragon Ball franchise all that much and most of my knowledge of it comes from pop culture osmosis. That said, I chose Colorado as this team’s home as it reminded me of the mountainous settings that are often depicted in the anime and manga. After picking the location, taking the C from Colorado’s flag and turning the circle into a Dragon Ball was a no-brainer. In turn, I could base the uniforms on Goku’s orange and blue gi and basically make them the hockey Broncos. But what about the rest of the identity?

 

My first idea for the name was the Dragons. But then it occurred to me that Goku is based on Sun Wukong - aka the Monkey King, who is obviously not a dragon - so I also considered the Kings, but I didn’t feel like the name fit either the region or Goku himself. Then I thought back to the mountainous settings of the series, and the Rocky Mountains, and reviving the hockey Rockies similar to what I did with the Americans - but that felt too obvious, especially when the Avalanche have already called back to their predecessors in different ways. Finally I ended up circling back to the Dragons, after learning that the main hero cast is collectively known as the Dragon Team.

 

“But wait,” you may be wondering, “what do Dragons have to do with Colorado, or Long Island for that matter?” I dunno! This team’s backstory was inspired by the Islanders’ former co-tenants, the AFL’s New York Dragons, and when looking for the source of their name I got nothing. I always thought it might have come from the easternmost parts of Long Island vaguely resembling the open maw of a dragon or a crocodile… but probably not.

 

Anyway; the orange home uniform, again, is inspired by Goku’s orange and blue gi, and the road jersey is loosely based on Vegeta’s white and blue battle armour. I also I took cues from the Islanders’ initial Reebok Edge design, mostly swapping blue and orange around on the home uniform. The third jersey’s purple and red scheme was meant as a nod to Goku’s look in the original Dragon Ball, but then Gohan and Piccolo also wear these colours in Dragon Ball Z.

 

Finally then there is the primary logo which I based on Shenron, a recurring character and something of a series mascot for Dragon Ball - albeit in orange and blue instead of his usual green. As a way of paying homage to Dragon Ball’s other mascot and its main protagonist, I gave the dragon a mane reminiscent of Goku’s spiky hair. (FWIW: While I haven't drawn it, I imagine the Dragons' original logo would look something like this)

that logo is sick

[coco1997]

Ugh, it's such a shame the Colorado State Seal has six stars when there are seven Dragon Balls. We were *this* close to perfection.  Seriously, though, this is a fantastic identity.

 

Can't wait to see what you've come up with for the Ghostbusters! Fingers crossed we get a charcoal gray alternate jersey a la the flight suits from Ghostbusters 2. 

[Bomba Tomba]

YESSSS As someone who was really into anime and never into Western superheroes, this is my favorite set of all

 

21 hours ago, coco1997 said:

Ugh, it's such a shame the Colorado State Seal has six stars when there are seven Dragon Balls.

 

The 7 Dragon Balls have 1-7 stars, so a 6 starred one does makes sense