Nintendo Disc System - NHL Connection

[The Green Meanie 0]

Hey guys. While searching some old Nintendo Disc System paperwork, I came across this small flyer for Konami's 1988 release, "Konami Ice Hockey":

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1375/kicehockeyfront0.jpg

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/3853/kicehockeyback.jpg

Now check out some of those team names and colors. There are some interesting choices there.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3922/kicehockeyback2.jpg

The Rangers apparently took on the Devils name.

Chicago has Detroit's colors.

LA has replaced purple with gray. (Yuck.)

Montreal has come up with orange and burnt orange.

Toronto has replaced the old blue and white with light blue and green.

Edmonton has the North Stars' colors.

Vancouver is now brown and yellow. (Also yuck.)

But the thing that really caught my eye, check out the name for Minnesota: Wilds. Keep in mind, this game was made is 1987. The North Stars were still around then. What are the odds that they would give Minnesota that name?

[Bmac 892]

That's weird.

[SenatorJake 59]

Cool, nice find. Is this game similar to Blades of Steel? I noticed they sorta have the same teams.

[charger77 1,792]

Looks like Blades of Steel.

-Dan

[cappital92 46]

IIRC, Konami did make Blades of Steel, so I'd be surprised if that was any different.

On a similar note, why are the Dolphins/Miami team in Tecmo Bowl pink? I know that they only had the NFLPA license, but every other team is the color their NFL counterparts wear. Could just be that teal was too close to the color of the field?

[The Green Meanie 0]

Looks like Blades of Steel.

-Dan

Sorry guys, I forgot to mention. This is the Japanese version of Blades of Steel. A few things were changed for the American version, including dropping team names.

[CDixonDesign 178]

Kind of weird, probably a coincidence....

[swilson160 275]

Kind of weird, probably a coincidence....

I disagree. There's no way this is a coincidence.

[Pharos04 1,177]

IIRC, Konami did make Blades of Steel, so I'd be surprised if that was any different.

On a similar note, why are the Dolphins/Miami team in Tecmo Bowl pink? I know that they only had the NFLPA license, but every other team is the color their NFL counterparts wear. Could just be that teal was too close to the color of the field?

Better question is why is Seattle in Tecmo Bowl pink?

[Hathaway Browne 2]

This is like Back to the Future II. "Cubs beat Miami to win World Series"

[Lee. 419]

What's really interesting is that Christopher Lloyd is slashing the holy hell out of Erik Estrada there in the lower right.

[CC97 161]

This is like Back to the Future II. "Cubs beat Miami to win World Series"

How is this like that?

[BB61 9]

I was going to say -- that is Blades of Steel.

This was the first hockey game I ever got when I got my NES in 1989. It was the first NES game I played -- I had never touched an NES prior to doing a Blades of Steel tournament at USA Video near my house. I played this kid who was two years older than me, I was Toronto, and I lost 27-1. I also got Dave Schultz's autograph. That was a good day.

Anyway...

When I got the game, I made up names for the teams --

New York Liberty

Chicago Tribe

Montreal Maroons

Toronto Icebears

Edmonton Ducks

Vancouver Cadets

Los Angeles Suns

and my team... the Minnesota Mome Reths. I was kinda into Alice in Wonderland at the time.

[Hathaway Browne 2]

This is like Back to the Future II. "Cubs beat Miami to win World Series"

How is this like that?

This game is from 1987 and mentions the "Minnesota Wilds", a team that didn't exist until 2000.

In Back to the Future II, the news ticker reports that in 2015 the Cubs beat the Miami Gators. The film was released in 1989, when there were no Major League team in Florida. And the gears for that weren't set in motion until 1990.

A stretch, yes, but just work with me here.

[CC97 161]

This is like Back to the Future II. "Cubs beat Miami to win World Series"

How is this like that?

This game is from 1987 and mentions the "Minnesota Wilds", a team that didn't exist until 2000.

In Back to the Future II, the news ticker reports that in 2015 the Cubs beat the Miami Gators. The film was released in 1989, when there were no Major League team in Florida. And the gears for that weren't set in motion until 1990.

A stretch, yes, but just work with me here.

Well, at least you admit it's a stretch

[EatSleepJeep 1]

What's really interesting is that Christopher Lloyd is slashing the holy hell out of Erik Estrada there in the lower right.

Or why the little blue guy in the upper left has a 10 foot long stick and why the goalie's koho stick is presumably going to trip his own d-man at the bottom.

[illwauk 423]

This game is from 1987 and mentions the "Minnesota Wilds", a team that didn't exist until 2000.

In Back to the Future II, the news ticker reports that in 2015 the Cubs beat the Miami Gators. The film was released in 1989, when there were no Major League team in Florida. And the gears for that weren't set in motion until 1990.

A stretch, yes, but just work with me here.

Wasn't there a lot of talk in the late 80s about the White Sox moving to Florida... Tampa Bay to be specific?

But this game is definitely a coincidence. The names chosen all sound stereotypically "western" or "northern" (from a Japanese/Eastern perspective) for the same reason the Japanese team in almost all US games was named the Samurais.

[FirearmofMutiny 4]

Coincidence. A HILARIOUS coincidence.

[Jimmy! 967]

Wasn't there a lot of talk in the late 80s about the White Sox moving to Florida... Tampa Bay to be specific?

But this game is definitely a coincidence. The names chosen all sound stereotypically "western" or "northern" (from a Japanese/Eastern perspective) for the same reason the Japanese team in almost all US games was named the Samurais.

The White Sox, Mariners, and Twins (IIRC) were all Tampa bound.

Ahh, Blades of Steel. Crappy digitized voices, fighting, good times. Sometimes, I really miss those ol' NES games.

[Sodboy13 5,695]

Ahh, Blades of Steel. Crappy digitized voices, fighting, good times. Sometimes, I really miss those ol' NES games.

"Hit the pad!"