The Remaining Guardians

So I was going to post this over the NHL All-Star Weekend, but I got interrupted with homework and writing stuff about the NHL All-Star Game. We've seen the first 22 Guardians in three articles before this, so let's round out the NHL Guardians roster today by introducing the last eight Guardians that I missed. I'll recap all 30 NHL Guardians at the end, plus I'll include a few more links and pictures that may not have been seen from the NHL All-Star Game. Either way, here are your last eight NHL Guardians!

Let's start by singing the blues with the Blue. St. Louis' Guardian looks more like a villain in his image. The Blue controls the element of sound to control your mind, leaving me to ask if sound is actually an element that one can control like fire or water. He has interdimensional teleportation powers, making him something like the X-Men's Nightcrawler with an added twist. His blue flaming hair kind of makes him look like Hades from Disney's Hercules. If you buy his action figure, he comes with a mighty saxophone as well!

We head west to the beaches of Anaheim to encounter the Duck. The Duck looks like a cheap prototype of Wildwing from Disney's Mighty Ducks. The trust fund info is a little much. Do we really need to know that the Duck is some snooty rich kid à la Tony Stark pre-Iron Man? It seems his amphibious look comes straight from Aquaman.

The Senator defends the city of Ottawa as we move to Canada's capital. The Senator resembles something out of the graphic novel 300. This "half man, half god" chatter will definitely boost an ego, but it does little to scare enemies. While he has the "heart of a gladiator and the soul of an inspirational leader", he is essentially the Roman version of Captain America. And yet Captain America was one of the first superheroes to die in comic books. Let's hope this gladiator escapes that fate for a little while.

We move south to the panhandle where the Panther resides. I'm all for a "fun-loving denizen", but why does he look more ominous than playful? And how does the Panther control "the element of shadow and dark matter" when we haven't even figured out what dark matter is yet? His bio states that he's from the Florida Everglades, not outer space, so is he hiding something? And what, pray tell, is the element of shadow? I'm amazed that people can change the historical definition of what an element is just by stating "it is so". He kind of reminds me of an animal-like Onslaught from X-Men lore.

Moving up the east coast takes us to Atlanta where the Thrasher resides. The Thrasher is apparently the fastest member of the Guardian Air Force which would indicate that the flying Guardians all work together. Somehow, I not believing that one. In any case, the airplane-like Thrasher is clearly an homage to the busiest airport on the planet. The Thrasher resembles Astrotrain from the Transformers except he's a little more human.

We move further north up the coast to Long Island where the Islander lives. We have another marine here, so the Duck and the Thrasher won't feel like they are the only military men in the Guardians. If he controls ocean currents, he essentially controls weather and the environment. This power comes with some pretty big consequences if the Islander decides to go off the rails. He doesn't resemble many comic book heroes, but he does have a lot of padding on as if he were a football player. Too bad no one remembers Superpro.

The last of the Guardians, but certainly not the least, is another NYC resident: the Ranger. I'm not sure how he's a "futuristic Manhattan crime fighter" when it looks like his machinery was put together in a scrap yard. And is he has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, is he really a superhero or just a mercenary with a gun? His colour scheme, shield, and lack of armor make me think of Captain America when looking at the Ranger.

Those are your last seven Guardians, and that will do it for this experiment. The NHL Guardian Project is in full-effect right now, so be sure to pick up some stuff that may fetch a pretty penny down the road. There's no telling how long this will last.

If you want to see any of the specific Guardians, click the following links:

• Penguin, King, Hurricane, Blackhawk, Sabre, Flyer, Oiler, and Devil.
• Canadien, Lightning, Canuck, Capital, Bruin, Wild, Predator, and Shark.
• Flame, Blue Jacket, Star, Red Wing, Maple Leaf, Coyote, and Avalanche.
• Blue, Duck, Senator, Panther, Thrasher, Islander, and Ranger - see above.

There are your Guardians - who is your favorite?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!