NHL Guardian Project

[epper]

This Guardians thing is already way cooler than that and it has way more potential. As adults we might laugh at it all and consider it then NHL just continuing to be the little brother of the major leagues, but I think this could be a great initiative if they really expand on it. In fact, whether or not they do more with it is the deciding factor. If it's a one-month project aimed at adults, then it's just stupid. But if it's a whole series of projects targeted mostly at kids... it's awesome really.

Thank you! Someone else gets it!

[The_Admiral]

STL Fanatic's predictable embrace of everything "established" in sports design is so pervasive that one has to wonder if he's perpetually making sure he never gets caught slagging a future employer or client.

While I get that this could, theoretically, lead to a groundswell of NHL fandom in the 6-11 age bracket, the fact remains that the execution of this has been and likely will be so piss-poor that it never gets off the ground. Kids have finer-tuned BS detectors than some of us give them credit for, and with all of us having been kids who bought stupid crap but passed on buying really stupid crap, we should recognize that. For kids to get into the NHL via a comic book superhero motif, they'll have already gotten into real comic book superheroes, and will likely see these as watered-down promotional fodder that isn't as rewarding as consuming genuine Marvel stuff. Generally, kids who gobbled up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles knew better than to waste their time and their parents' money on BIker Mice From Mars; likewise Power Rangers but not VR Troopers or Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad. I knew a kid who bought an action figure from one of those Power Rangers ripoffs. We mocked him, and rightfully so. Even Ronald McDonald and the Hamburglar have some sort of cachet that the Burger King Kids Club forever won't. Kids who like the X-Men will like the X-Men and scoff (as best a 3rd grader can scoff) at "The Thrasher" and "The Canadien."

And though it's not a nice broad conceptual point, another difference that can't be overlooked is that the NFL's nicknames lend themselves to anthropomorphic superheroes a hell of a lot better than the NHL's do. The "Intimidating Team Names" thread underscores this. Predatory land and air animals all over the place, especially for the flagship teams. NHL team nomenclature just doesn't inspire the same sort of cool, direct imagery you get from THE BEAR, or THE GIANT, THE EAGLE, or even THE STEELER. So what we ended up with for this was a bunch of boilerplate Marvel heroes with team logos photoshopped on their belt buckles, next to some half-assed copy saying "controls the power of clouds" or something.

Whether they promise much more and never get around to it or do a really half-assed job shoving it down our throats for the next five years, I have no reason to believe this will be marketed well. Any unwavering faith that the NHL will not piss down its leg is baffling and runs counter to ninetysomething years of NHL decision-making.

[STL FANATIC]

STL Fanatic's predictable embrace of everything "established" in sports design is so pervasive that one has to wonder if he's perpetually making sure he never gets caught slagging a future employer or client.

I know you don't much like me, but can you elaborate on that?

I feel like you're referring to this and to the Big Ten logo, maybe? I'm not sure what else.

I'm more than critical about plenty of design that's out there. Trust me. But I also don't feel the need to jump on the negativity bandwagon when I see a lot of promise in a lot of other stuff that's out there. A lot of people enjoy being cynical. You're kind of their leader. I enjoy being positive and honest.

[IceCap]

Say what you want about these, but if the NHL does plan to further promote these, it's brilliant.

Yes, it's cheesy, but the NHL needs to do stuff like this. If this stuff reaches the children's market, think about how many young people it could lead to hockey. You don't think all comics are at least a little cheesy? We just accept some of them, and some of them have been turned into super badass movies and such. But at their core, they're cartoons with special powers.

I remember when I was getting into the NFL (so it was about 95 when the Rams moved.. these cards may have been a year or two earlier, though, because I think it said LA on the Rams card), there was a set of trading cards. I can't remember if they were distributed through McDonald's or something else, but they were grid-iron monsters or something. It was actual NFL players dressed up in themed and team related costumes. It was stupid as all hell. But I was like 7 and I ate that stuff up.

This Guardians thing is already way cooler than that and it has way more potential. As adults we might laugh at it all and consider it then NHL just continuing to be the little brother of the major leagues, but I think this could be a great initiative if they really expand on it. In fact, whether or not they do more with it is the deciding factor. If it's a one-month project aimed at adults, then it's just stupid. But if it's a whole series of projects targeted mostly at kids... it's awesome really.

NFL SuperPro.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

Nevermind

[Brass]

I think STL said it best. I was actually thinking about the concept today and figured I would find this topic and post my thoughts. The NHL is exploring different avenues to attract attention. This project is obviously aimed at children who are usually pouring the most money into entertainment, via their parents or guardians (pun intended). What's the spread of parents buying NHL merchandise for themselves, versus parents buying NHL merchandise for their kids? It's probably a huge gap, in favor of those buying for their children.

It seems as if some people's expectation of the NHL Guardian project was to see the second coming of Batman or Spiderman. Sorry, folks. Obviously the next big superhero won't be coming out of the NHL's newest initiative, but really, what did you expect, exactly? Personally, I'm not a comic book guy (beyond the comic book movies), so I really can't say what's "cool" in regards to a superhero or even what sells. All I know is that Stan Lee has made a ton of money off of comic books and knows what's interesting to readers far better than some people on a sports logos message board.

[Seadragon76]

Gotta agree with what Brass and STL Fanatic said. This project was created, in my honest opinion, to be focused on younger children. Super hero type characters always seem to resonate well with young children, so why not?

Now, most of us saw this and came off with an attitude of 'Boy, this was a bad idea and it's going to fail oh so badly.' Most of us aren't the target here. You're talking about making comics, graphic novels, action figures and whatnot out of these 30 characters created from this project.

As for Hathaway Browne, who wants the the defunct Guardians... Why not use those teams and have them be the bad guys? You know, 'Fallen Guardians'. They once protected the Earth along with the other Guardians, but they fell into the ways of evil and were thrown out of the group. They now seek revenge against the Guardians for booting them out.

As for the members:

The Jet - Leader of the Fallen Guardians. A human with a powerful jetpack that can help him reach speeds of Mach 1. He is also a trained soldier of combat as the City of Winnipeg itself is home to NORAD in Canada and home of the 1 Canadian Air Division.

The Whaler - The oldest of the Fallen Guardians. He looks a lot like Captain Ahab (of Moby Dick fame) decked out in Whaler colors. He carries a giant harpoon that he uses for offense and defense. He also controls a pod of whales to help him out.

The Nordique - The Fallen Guardians' Strongman. He's a cross between a polar bear and a Husky who has inhuman strength and power. He's also a brick wall, a homage to the ramparts that surround Fort Quebec.

The Scout - The only Native American member on either side. He is a decesdent of the native tribes that once lived in the area Kansas City is located on. He has a real mean streak, a homage to the unrest the plagued the city during the Civil War.

The Seal - The forefather of the current aquatic based Guardians. He's half sea lion and half human, with a real 'golden' touch. He wears special gloves as to prevent turning his allies into gold.

The North Star - Older brother of the (current) Star. He uses the same light powers as the Wild, but he has better control of these powers. He's also insanely jealous of both The Star and The Wild. The Star is because he uses the name and The Wild because he makes Minnesota his home.

The Baron - The wisest of the Fallen Guardians. Cleveland's hard nosed attitude has formed into a wise and stubborn man known as The Baron. He wears a metal suit that is similar to what The Canadien wears, except it's in red. He can control metal in it's molten form and use it to his advantage.

The Rockie - Forefather of The Avalanche with the only difference that he doesn't need the suit to live... In fact, he's more like a miner from the days of yore (and better fits the whole 'rebel' image) with his pickaxe and strength that is only outshined by The Nordique.

[wildwing64]

As for Hathaway Browne, who wants the the defunct Guardians... Why not use those teams and have them be the bad guys? You know, 'Fallen Guardians'. They once protected the Earth along with the other Guardians, but they fell into the ways of evil and were thrown out of the group. They now seek revenge against the Guardians for booting them out.

As for the members:

The Jet - Leader of the Fallen Guardians. A human with a powerful jetpack that can help him reach speeds of Mach 1. He is also a trained soldier of combat as the City of Winnipeg itself is home to NORAD in Canada and home of the 1 Canadian Air Division.

The way the Coyotes financial situation has been going, they could still be heading back to Winnipeg. So the problem with having The Jet as a "Fallen Guardian" is that he could somehow join the good guys again while the Coyote then joins the bad guys.

The creative team would either have to be really creative or they'd have a massive plot hole on their hands.

[STL FANATIC]

I actually would dig that as a storyline, but there would be a lot of fans who still feel very positive attachments to those teams that it would not make happy at all. Additionally, in the case of the teams that moved, the current incarnation might try to embrace its history (dunno if that's true or not), and so it might detract from that approach.

I am curious to see who the enemy is.

I haven't really had a chance to watch any of the All Star stuff. Anything interesting as far as it relates to the Guardians?

[Firefly]

I heard a couple of interviews with Stan Lee lately including one today about the Guardian Project. He admitted not knowing much about hockey and gave his usual fun pitch about the project. His work is usually broad strokes that get filled in by other people so I take it all this empath and controling packs of animal stuff and/or elements is from other sources of talent. The whole thing seems overdone like, say, the state quarter designs. These guys would have been cooler if they had one dang power or specialty and had a scrappy personality. I mean this is hockey.

This stuff is like 3-D Man when what kids (and adults) would like Wolverine. Wolverine has one power and one set of weapons and he cool as hell. 3-D Man has hokey powers that border on god-like and he's as boring as CSPAN.

Now to get to my Guardian team-up fanfic where The Sabre, a sword swinging badass, and The Star, a former sheriff with a quick draw, track down and take down The Coyote, a wily rascal who can't hold onto a buck, as The Coyote attempts to rob the Guardians' bank account.

[MC2]

They were talking about this during the Skill challenge.

[The Golden One]

Gotta agree with what Brass and STL Fanatic said. This project was created, in my honest opinion, to be focused on younger children. Super hero type characters always seem to resonate well with young children, so why not?

Now, most of us saw this and came off with an attitude of 'Boy, this was a bad idea and it's going to fail oh so badly.' Most of us aren't the target here. You're talking about making comics, graphic novels, action figures and whatnot out of these 30 characters created from this project.

As for Hathaway Browne, who wants the the defunct Guardians... Why not use those teams and have them be the bad guys? You know, 'Fallen Guardians'. They once protected the Earth along with the other Guardians, but they fell into the ways of evil and were thrown out of the group. They now seek revenge against the Guardians for booting them out.

As for the members:

The Jet - Leader of the Fallen Guardians. A human with a powerful jetpack that can help him reach speeds of Mach 1. He is also a trained soldier of combat as the City of Winnipeg itself is home to NORAD in Canada and home of the 1 Canadian Air Division.

The Whaler - The oldest of the Fallen Guardians. He looks a lot like Captain Ahab (of Moby Dick fame) decked out in Whaler colors. He carries a giant harpoon that he uses for offense and defense. He also controls a pod of whales to help him out.

The Nordique - The Fallen Guardians' Strongman. He's a cross between a polar bear and a Husky who has inhuman strength and power. He's also a brick wall, a homage to the ramparts that surround Fort Quebec.

The Scout - The only Native American member on either side. He is a decesdent of the native tribes that once lived in the area Kansas City is located on. He has a real mean streak, a homage to the unrest the plagued the city during the Civil War.

(Any other ideas for the defunct franchises are welcomed. I'll make sure you get credit for it)

um North Stars? Could be the Stars evil twin. That turned evil after seeing everything stolen from him by his brother.

Something with the Seals, just so I see the Seals recognized.

[Hathaway Browne]

As for Hathaway Browne, who wants the the defunct Guardians... Why not use those teams and have them be the bad guys? You know, 'Fallen Guardians'. They once protected the Earth along with the other Guardians, but they fell into the ways of evil and were thrown out of the group. They now seek revenge against the Guardians for booting them out.

As for the members:

The Jet - Leader of the Fallen Guardians. A human with a powerful jetpack that can help him reach speeds of Mach 1. He is also a trained soldier of combat as the City of Winnipeg itself is home to NORAD in Canada and home of the 1 Canadian Air Division.

The Whaler - The oldest of the Fallen Guardians. He looks a lot like Captain Ahab (of Moby Dick fame) decked out in Whaler colors. He carries a giant harpoon that he uses for offense and defense. He also controls a pod of whales to help him out.

The Nordique - The Fallen Guardians' Strongman. He's a cross between a polar bear and a Husky who has inhuman strength and power. He's also a brick wall, a homage to the ramparts that surround Fort Quebec.

The Scout - The only Native American member on either side. He is a decesdent of the native tribes that once lived in the area Kansas City is located on. He has a real mean streak, a homage to the unrest the plagued the city during the Civil War.

(Any other ideas for the defunct franchises are welcomed. I'll make sure you get credit for it)

Love it!!!

The way the Coyotes financial situation has been going, they could still be heading back to Winnipeg. So the problem with having The Jet as a "Fallen Guardian" is that he could somehow join the good guys again while the Coyote then joins the bad guys.

The creative team would either have to be really creative or they'd have a massive plot hole on their hands.

Thats quite a good idea, maybe an end of season twist?

[The_Admiral]

I'm more than critical about plenty of design that's out there. Trust me. But I also don't feel the need to jump on the negativity bandwagon when I see a lot of promise in a lot of other stuff that's out there. A lot of people enjoy being cynical. You're kind of their leader. I enjoy being positive and honest.

I enjoy being honest as well, and I've been effusive in my praise when it's warranted. But it's hard to have faith in this project.

[Brass]

I'm more than critical about plenty of design that's out there. Trust me. But I also don't feel the need to jump on the negativity bandwagon when I see a lot of promise in a lot of other stuff that's out there. A lot of people enjoy being cynical. You're kind of their leader. I enjoy being positive and honest.

I enjoy being honest as well, and I've been effusive in my praise when it's warranted. But it's hard to have faith in this project.

Then perhaps don't follow along? It's not like this project will make or break the National Hockey League. That seems to be the attitude shown by some.

[IceCap]

I'm more than critical about plenty of design that's out there. Trust me. But I also don't feel the need to jump on the negativity bandwagon when I see a lot of promise in a lot of other stuff that's out there. A lot of people enjoy being cynical. You're kind of their leader. I enjoy being positive and honest.

I enjoy being honest as well, and I've been effusive in my praise when it's warranted. But it's hard to have faith in this project.

Then perhaps don't follow along? It's not like this project will make or break the National Hockey League. That seems to be the attitude shown by some.

We get that this is aimed at kids. We get that we're not the target audience.

The problem is that this kind of thing has been tried before. Look no further then the Marvel series NFL SuperPro. People have been trying to peddle "sports as superheroes" to kids for years, and they've never really caught on.

[NJTank]

What about the Rockie?

[RollWolfpack]

I was at the NHL Fan Fair in Raleigh on Friday, and the entrance to the festivities was a huge Guardian Project theme, and everyone loved it! Even my Dad, who hates anything fictional and whatever, he thought it was cool. Not only that, they had a virtual reality set up in the fan fair with tons of kids lined up to look at the comic characters. Merchandise was also selling very well. Kudos to the NHL.

[Don]

Introducing the FINANCIALLY UN-VIABLE X-TEAMS!!!

[Corvus]

Introducing the FINANCIALLY UN-VIABLE X-TEAMS!!!

Glorious.