He Had It Coming

New character alert! Joey reveals to Herb that he crossed paths with… the Prime Minister of Canada. In the Planet Joey universe, that person is the eccentric Théodore Thibodeau. This raises a ton of questions of course, but readers should get used to the PM popping up randomly and unexpectedly.

Gotta Find That Kid

Mimi is right – the halfwitted cartoonist (that’s me!) is indeed shutting down this storyline soon – so the pressure is on our sinister searchers to find the kid in the yellow helmet who delivered that dastardly punch, as per the boss’ orders… Joey seems to have successfully evaded everyone thus far – not only Gaston and Mimi, but the kid with the glasses as well, seen here icing is face.

An Unconventional Route

After his punch sets off some post-game chaos, Joey tries to escape unnoticed back to the locker room. His unexpected journey takes him from the Zamboni, to the snack bar to the bowels of the Cold Springs Arena, putting his ninja skills to the test. Alternate title: A Good Skate Sharpening.

Safe Harbour

Joey and Herb continue discussing ‘the punch’, where we learn that glasses guy completely melted down and where exactly Joey slithered off to while chaos ensued…

A Local Recruit?

We catch up with the two sinister spectators – Gaston Malade and Mimi Dangereux – after a bit of a post-game kerfuffle has broken out, thanks to Joey. Gaston is thrilled that there is finally some violence on the ice to capture his attention while Joey seems to have made quite an impression on the mysterious Cyrus Belgrave. As for Mimi, she’s trying to figure out how exactly it is that Belgrave seems to have his own private feed from *checks notes* the Cold Springs Arena…

The Final Horn

And there it is, the Golden Turkeys lose to the Bacon Ridge Rhinos. As the teams line up to shake hands, the game isn’t quite over for Joey, who seems to have his focus elsewhere…

My Kind of Scoundrel

We catch up with our resident ne’er-do-wells in the Cold Springs Arena, enjoying the Canadian minor hockey experience: mediocre hockey and sub-par food and beverages. As expected, Gaston has taken a shining to the kid with the glasses…

Guy with the Glasses

As the game wears on, Joey can’t escape the wrath of a certain bespectacled goon, who is absolutely relentless. What we have here is an assault in three parts: a cross check, hip check and a good old fashioned flying elbow for good measure. Now Joey has a few bumps and bruises (and maybe a missing tooth) to go along with that shattered stick.

Hack!

The game continues and Joey has a scoring chance! Unfortunately, the kid with the glasses has other ideas.

Bespectacled Dump Truck

It’s game on for Joey and the Golden Turkeys! It doesn’t take too long for Joey to lose his focus — and he suffers the consequences for it.

A Little Entertainment

We find ourselves catching up with the resident villains of our humble strip – Gaston Malade and Mimi Dangereux – and find out that they have indeed been stationed in northern Manitoba by evil mastermind Cyrus Belgrave to work on some sort of top-secret project… And not just anywhere in northern Manitoba, but good ol’ Cold Springs. In fact, they’re headed toward the arena where a red-headed kid takes to the ice, representing said town for the first time. Cue the foreboding music…

Home Opener

Fresh off of finding out he made the team and the receipt of his fresh new uniform (including bright yellow helmet), Joey suits up officially for the Cold Springs Golden Turkeys in front of family and friends in a jam-packed arena! What could possibly go wrong?

Yellow Hat

Joey shows up at the Cold Springs Arena on a high to pick up his official Golden Turkeys uniform after making the team… And because Joey’s stories are based on my stories, of course he gets an old yellow helmet (yes, I had a yellow helmet) and of course it’s because he shows up late. As usual, Herb has a way of putting it all in perspective at the kitchen table.

There’s Always a Catch

There you have it: Joey’s hard work and perseverance has paid off – he made the Cold Springs hockey team! And Herb’s right – there is always a catch. As it turns out, there were just enough players to fill out the roster without having to make cuts, so Joey’s on the team. Now it’s time to ponder the line combinations – will Joey and “Gigantor” play together?

Strict Orders

The coaching staff has made their decision. Will Joey make the Cold Springs hockey team? Cliffhanger alert! Yup, we’re going to drag this one out for one more strip…

Breakaway Drill

Hockey tryouts continue with Joey having the opportunity to show his scoring prowess and a theme is developing: all of these comics are ending with loud, cartoony mishaps…

The Orange Menace

Joey’s struggles continue at hockey tryouts – this time with inanimate objects. Not only are the kids bigger and tougher in Cold Springs, but it looks like the pylons are too…

Puck Battle Drill

The Cold Springs hockey tryouts are under way and the first drill pits Joey against “Gigantor” in a battle for the puck along the boards. Not only did Joey not emerge victorious, but he had to go hunting for some missing equipment. His attitude remains positive, however! Also, wearing full Leafs gear to hockey tryouts in Manitoba is definitely making yourself a target.

No Pucks

Besides having to do push-ups or dry land training, it’s the worst punishment you can receive at a hockey practice: no pucks; skating only. Well, thanks to Joey, that’s what all of the boys trying out for the Cold Springs hockey team have in store for them for the next couple of hours. I’m sure that’ll go over well…

Jock Strap

If you’ve played ice hockey before, you’ll agree that the absolute worst thing is forgetting even just one piece of equipment. What you realize is that because it’s a game played on ice with hard rubber pucks, each piece of equipment is essential. Elbow pads offer protection from falling on the ice, gloves protect your hands from sticks and skate blades and shin pads protect your legs from a slap shot. The jock (or jill for ladies) is one piece of equipment you definitely don’t want to play without for obvious reasons. Oh and you put it on first, so you don’t want to find yourself in Joey’s predicament, having to undress – that is, if Herb can help him out somehow…