Over the last few months, I’ve been working to fill out the opposing teams to the Downward Spirals hockey team. As usual, I draw things on old scrap paper, so you’ll see odd type-written words here and there. I did my best to clean them up.
Before we look at the various new squads, here’s the two you’ve already met.
DOWNWARD SPIRALS — A team of opossums, the Downward Spirals hits the ice with all the gusto they can. The problem is that they’re ‘possums. When the going gets tough, they tend to play dead. The Spirals are Pond Hockey League’s worst team. Most people blame their lazy work ethic.
DAM QUIXOTES — Beavers fill out this team. A competent team, they demonstrate a solid work ethic. Their best player is their goalie, who thanks to his rigid tail, keeps his net empty most of the time. The team does seem to be a bit delusional about what it can accomplish though. See the Dam Quixotes in action here.
And now the new players …
MARSH INVADERS (shown in full at bottom, and in inset to the top right)— An all-skunk squad, the Marsh Invaders truly stink on ice. Sure, they aren’t good hockey players either, but their stink really helps them win games. About half the season, their opponents will forfeit the game, just so they don’t have to mix with their smelly foes. Most members of the Invaders are burly guys, and they make good use of their size as they bash their opponents.
APPLE CORPS (inset at right)– Sure, the racoons who make up the Apple Corps are a bit prissy, but they’re still good hockey players. The only problem is that they’re often too busy looking good to play good. The Apples are fast skaters and especially good playmakers. Their main problem is they often spend too much time trying to set up the perfect play rather than playing hard.
BLUFF NUTS (Shown at right)– Known for their nutty behavior, the squirrels of the Bluff Nuts are unpredictable and, sometimes, simply unplayable. Sporting the most colorful jersey in the PHL (each stripe in their jersey is a different color), the team shows little knowledge for how hockey is even played. 
Instead, they just scramble for the puck and hope everything works out right. Still, their frenetic playing habits suits their goalie just fine. He’s the second best in the league.
TEAM FOXY (shown at top) — Clever, devious and masterful players, Team Foxy (might change that name) is the PHL’s best. Most analysts say they’re the likely team to move up into the big leagues (facing the likes of weasels, wolves, wolverines, otters and bobcats). Others think the foxes are perfectly happy being the big fish in the small pond.
Of course, I might add other teams as time goes by. Rabbits seem like a good addition. Same with chipmunks. Initially, I was expecting to add some turtles and birds, but they ended up looking too strange when compared to my other team designs.
What’s funny is that I almost think I could write up box scores for these teams. The problem is coming up all the players names!
That problem, however, doesn’t mean that I can’t offer up some eventually. Maybe that could be a “side bar” to every comic strip. Yeah, it would be goofy, but it would be fun for hockey fans, too.
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