• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, October 7, 2010

The NHL is about to get a run of superheroes to join Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. A company with "Incredible Hulk" and "Spider-Man" co-creator Stan Lee has a deal with the league to produce 30 super characters -- one for each team -- to be used in a variety of capacities from TV to comic books to in-arena signage.

The NHL and SLG Entertainment will create Guardian Media Entertainment to run a business around a "Guardian" superheroes franchise. Each of the 30 characters will embody powers that reflect their respective team and city.

The "Guardian" superheroes will be characters that can stand alone without hockey, playing roles in media and advertising unrelated to the game. However, the NHL will provide creative inspiration. They will be revealed in January at the NHL All-Star Game.

The initial target is tween boys, and the league indicated that it hopes the good-triumphing-over-evil group will bring a new audience to hockey. Content areas for them include publishing, gaming, broadcasting and promotions.

On a small level, the deal between the NHL and SLG Entertainment outs the league in business with Disney. SLG is partly owned by POW Entertainment, where Disney is a minor shareholder.

Separately, as its new season begins, the NHL has developed a mobile presence on Foursquare, where fans attending games can use it to receive trivia and other info as well as access to discounts and rewards. The NHL will be the first professional sports league with a full-time Foursquare base.

Throughout the 2010-11 season, fans that check in at select NHL games and events can access memorable moments in NHL history, as well as other unique content, incentives and rewards. The campaign was developed and conceived with social media marketing agency RocketXL.