NHL, Spiderman creator Stan Lee team up for Guardian Project

The National Hockey League has suffered from poor ratings, poor attendance and a general disinterest in the league since its work stoppage in 1999. Which is why it may be even more interesting that the NHL is behind one of the most creative campaigns to ever promote a sports league.

Stan Lee, the man behind comic book heroes such as Spiderman, X-Men and Iron Man, will be unveiling 30 new “Guardians,” representing each team in the league. The Guardians will have their own unique special powers representative of the specific team and city.
 
The Guardians, whose identities will remained shrouded in mystery, will be revealed at a special ceremony during the 2011 NHL All-Star Game. The Guardian Project, as it’s been dubbed, will be rolled out online first, but will also have a publishing, mobile, gaming, in-arena and broadcast presence. In addition to Lee, the new Guardian characters were also created and developed by Jake Shapiro and Tony Chargin, executive vice president of creative affairs at Guardian Media Entertainment, the new company responsible for all aspects of The Guardian Project.

“I’ve always believed that [every great plan starts with a great story,” Lee said. “In the creation of GME and its unique and unprecedented relationship with the NHL, I truly believe we have the perfect combination from which to launch 30 new superheroes and excite young fans around the globe.”

I get the feeling that the Guardian for the Colorado Avalanche has a lot of potential (possibly an Arnold Schwarzenegger-like Mr. Freeze?), while teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets and the St. Louis Blues may look about as intimidating as they sound.

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