It started with a film in 1992, and by the time, its third installment premiered in 1995, Disney found itself with a strong brand of its time in The Mighty Ducks. The fictional ice hockey team inspired the formation of a real-life NHL team namesake, based in Anaheim (1993-2006).
The adaptation of the Mighty Ducks name actually became recursive, with an animated series in turn inspired by the NHL team airing for 26 episodes in the final season of the Disney Afternoon syndicated block for 1997. The cartoon Mighty Ducks are this other-dimensional group of humanoid warrior ducks from “Puckworld”.
Living in a realm where hockey is sport, martial art and way of life, the Ducks rose up to combat the invasion of reptilian invaders called Saurians. Their battle spills over to Earth, where they hide in plain sight as a new NHL team in Anaheim, managed by Phil Palmfeather.
Now we’re going to list the members of this version of The Mighty Ducks, ace hockey players and defenders of Earth and Puckworld against Lord Dragaunus and the Saurian threat.
- Wildwing Flashblade – #00, current leader/goalie of the Ducks and friend of the team’s original founder Canard, who gave him the power-mask of Drake DuCaine (the ancient warrior who first defeated the Saurians) before he was lost in the dimensional trip from Puckworld to Earth; named after the mascot of the real-life NHL Mighty Ducks
- Nosedive Flashblade – #33, Wildwing’s younger brother and the team’s left-winger for hockey games; deemed too young to join in the initial battles against the Saurians, Nosedive becomes an official Duck after the journey to Earth
- Duke L’Orange – #13, team center; a former thief and gang leader in Puckworld who joins the Ducks against Dragaunus; lost an eye in his past and wears an eye-patch; carries a sword in combat
- Mallory McMallard – #15, team right-winger; former Puckworld Special Forces soldier and master of their world’s martial arts; severe stickler for rules with a black-and-white world view
- Tanya Vanderflock – #23, left defenseman; intellectual tech genius and engineer/mechanic for the Ducks’ Aerowing transport; has various allergies including of feathers, explaining why her tone of voice is like one with a head cold
- Check Hardwing, aka Grin – #01, right defenseman; the largest Duck but also the most in-control; his Zen-calm demeanor stems from being a student of the Puckworld hockey Grandmaster, Tai Quack Do
- Canard Thunderbeak – last survivor of the previous Puckworld resistance against the Saurians, he formed the Mighty Ducks and became their first leader; while pursuing the Saurian’s mother-ship Raptor between dimensions, Drake sacrificed himself to ensure the Duck Aerowing survived the trip’s perils, giving the mask of Drake DuCaine to Wildwing; believed to be still alive between the dimensions
- Phil Palmfeather – team manager; befriended the Ducks on Earth and gives them a home and cover identity as the NHL team for Anaheim; he’d prefer them to play in the league and do promotional stunts to build their image, but is considerate enough to let the Ducks fight to save Earth when needed
The NHL’s Anaheim Mighty Ducks, formed by Disney in 1993, was later sold to their present owners in 2005 and renamed the Anaheim Ducks. By that point the Mighty Ducks brand had petered out, but it had been great fun while it lasted. And who knows? There’s always the possibility of a re-launch.
