Canadians have watched their game flogged and marketed like soap, ever since the game was introduced to Americans. The game just never reached the level of football, baseball and basketball, despite the sports greatest efforts.
One of the techniques explored has been comics and cartooning, with varying and variable degrees of success. Animation icon Walt Disney, (whose father actually lived in Goderich, Ontario briefly), produced a couple of the earliest hockey cartoons: "The Hockey Champ" (1939), starring Donald Duck and Hockey Homicide" (1945) featuring Goofy.
One later attempt came about through the efforts of CBS and Hockey Night In Canada broadcaster Brian McFarlane. In the early 1970s, McFarlane contracted Hanna & Barbera studios (creators of the Flintstones,Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and more) to invent a character who would make learning about the Canadian obsession fun and entertaining. Onto the scene skated Peter Puck. The series has also been embraced throughout Canada, where the character is arguably more popular, than the American fans he was originally created for. Although sources conflict over who actually created Peter Puck, its clear the series would never have been made without the driving influence of McFarlane.
While the original series remains popular on DVD and YouTube, Hockey Night In Canada has recently shown all-new episodes of the series, with the talented all-Canadian creative team of Gary Pearson (writer) and Philip Street (animator). As a side note, Street is the creator of the Globe & Mail comic strip, "Fisher", while Pearson once published the hockey comic strip "Sour Play" in his hometown newspaper, the Tilbury Times.
Culminating with an introduction at the 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend in Raleigh-Durham, N. C., is the NHL's latest attempt to captivate the U.S. sports fan base. "The Guardian Project", created by Marvel Comics icon, Stan Lee.
Featuring ultra-macho superheroes representing each of the 30 franchises, the league is clearly targeting the young male audience to catch hockey fever. While the introduction came with much fanfare at the All-Star Weekend, what the league will do with the ambitious project remains to be seen. Obviously, there is the possibility for crossover merchandising in the area of scale model figurines. Of note is the fact that hockey comic books in Topps and O-Pee-Chee bubble gum have done well historically.
How successful the Guardian Project is, becomes critical to the NHL's future, as it turns a somber gaze to the troubled Nashville and Phoenix franchises, with Winnipeg, Quebec City and Southern Ontario chomping at the bit for new teams.
Links:
Peter Puck on CBC:The Guardians Project:
