Sports always played an important role in all the Peanuts Gang getting on the pond at one point or another.
Whether it was a joke of how horrible some of the Peanuts kids were at the sport, referencing iconic professional hockey players, or showing Snoopy in intense games – both imaginary and real – with other hockey players and Woodstock, hockey became a beloved aspect of winter Peanuts comic strips.
Moreover, Snoopy has not one but three alter egos that relate to hockey: World Famous Hockey Player, World Famous Hockey Coach, and the World Famous Hockey Goalie. As a result, Peanuts was pretty closely tied into the sport of hockey, especially when winter rolled around.
10 "Check This Double Axel, Sweetie..."
First Published: December 7, 1971
Lucy's massive crush on Schroeder is infamous in Peanuts lore, and it often led her to great lengths to spend time with him. In this , Lucy asks Schroeder to be her partner in the Christmas skating show, but he is not for it at all, harshly responding that as a hockey player he will have no part in figure skating.
Snoopy, on the other hand, is all too willing to be her skating partner, trying to show off his moves in the hopes that it will sweeten the deal and Lucy will take him on as her skating partner. It was a recurring Peanuts bit that Snoopy constantly tried to be the skating partner for the girls of the Peanuts gang, annoying all of them, at best, and at worst, angering them to the point of pushing him into the snow or pulling his hat over his head.
9 "This Is A Big Game Today...Every Seat In The Arena Is Taken"
First Published: December 1, 1989
Here, Snoopy has a big hockey game, with his frozen bird bath arena being filled to the brim with bird spectators who have taken up every seat. After Snoopy had been ousted by the ice rink many times by Lucy and Violet, he pivots and makes a frozen birdbath his own rink. Hilariously, on this particular day, the game attracts an unusually large audience.
According to author David Michaelis's book Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography, artist and author Charles Schulz was an avid hockey fan, and even played rec-league hockey himself well into his sixties.
Throughout Peanuts history, Peanuts creator Charles Schulz.
8 "I Was Going To Give Him An Elbow"
First Published: November 17, 1971
As his World Famous Hockey Player persona, Snoopy envisions himself playing a game against the professional hockey player Gordie Howe. Snoopy's plan comes to ruin, though, when he discovers that Gordie Howe is not playing, because he is retired, dashing Snoopy's opportunity to "give him an elbow." As this comic makes clear, Snoopy can absolutely embrace the aggressive nature of hockey when he wants to.
It was not uncommon for Snoopy to envision himself playing against hockey legends,such as Gordie Howe in this comic strip, and Bobbie Hull in another. While the discovery of Howe's retirement disappoints Snoopy, he has plenty more scenarios to imagine thanks to his menagerie of alter egos like Joe Cool and even his other hockey persona, the World Famous Hockey Coach.
7 "Throw Me The Hockey Ball"
First Published: January 31, 1968
In this strip, Lucy tries to be a good hockey player alongside Charlie Brown and Linus. Unfortunately for them, and the whole team involved, Lucy does not even know that a puck is used in the sport, rather than a ball. All Charlie Brown can do in response to this very evident bad start is to roll his eyes, while Linus points out that Charlie Brown himself is to blame, since he invited her to play.
All 14 Peanuts Comics Featuring Snoopy's Romance With the "Ice Skating Girl Beagle" (How It Started & How It Ended In Heartbreak, Explained)
Snoopy became a character who was much more than comic relief - all while giving a storyline that shows the beginning to the end of a love story.
One consistent aspect of Peanuts is that Lucy does not seem to have a talent for sports, being by far the weakest player on the Peanuts baseball team, as well as clearly not being cut out to play hockey. Though she was generally the most confident member of the Peanuts Gang, this did not translate to her athletic endeavors, hilariously leading to a great deal of frustration for Lucy over the years.
6 "But I'm Such A Nice Guy..." (Snoopy Goes To The Penalty Box)
First Published: December 13, 1970
Snoopy loves to play pretend, with the World Famous Hockey Player being just one of many scenarios he acted out routinely. Pretending he is in a high stakes hockey game, he imagines himself playing ferociously...until he gets the whistle called on him for the many penalties he has taken for aggressive playing. All Snoopy can do is surrender in shock, not seeing how he could have amassed all these penalties as he is "such a nice guy."
When Snoopy becomes his World Famous Hockey Player persona, he becomes incredibly competitive, even more so than his World Famous Tennis Player persona. Despite going into his pretend hockey game with a cool and calm mantra, once he gets immersed in the game, he is anything but cool and calm, going all out in full fury.
5 "You're A Real Hockey Player"
First Published: October 9, 1968
In this Peanuts cartoon, Linus demands Snoopy prove he's "a real hockey player" – which he does by opening his mouth and showing Linus the multiple teeth he has missing, satisfying Linus's demand for evidence. Here, Peanuts hilariously lampoons the rough nature of ice hockey, and the tendency for players to lose teeth. The reader can't help but laugh that seeing Snoopy's mouth missing numerous teeth is all Linus needed for him to believe Snoopy's claims that he is a real hockey player.
Given Snoopy's tendency to fib, it makes sense that Linus would not take Snoopy's words too seriously unless there is some definite proof to back his story up. At least Linus fares better than Charlie Brown when approaching Snoopy as his hockey player persona, as Snoopy had a habit of whacking Charlie Brown on the head with his hockey stick.
4 "Nobody Scores"
First Published: February 10, 1969
Linus has no idea what he is in for when he faces off against Snoopy as a goalie, skating up to only get scared out of his wits when Snoopy roars at him and acts like he is going to hit him over the head with his hockey stick. Snoopy's defense is successful because Linus ends up not scoring, and likely skating away for his life.
"Shut Up And Leave Me Alone": The Weirdest (And Possibly Rudest) Kid In the History Of Peanuts, Explained
In 1971, Charlie Brown had the displeasure of bunking with "Shut Up and Leave Me Alone" at summer camp, testing the Peanuts Gang's eternal optimist.
Snoopy had already adopted his World Famous Hockey Player persona, so it is only natural that he bestowed upon himself another prestigious title: World Famous Hockey Goalie. His talent in the position of goalie speaks for itself in this comic strip, with Linus, or any of the other Peanuts kids for that matter, not standing a chance against the fearsome Snoopy as goalie. While Snoopy's strategy may not be the fairest, it does get the job done.
3 "What Position Do You Want To Play Today, Coach?"
First Published: October 5, 1969
As Snoopy lists off the endless wonderful qualities that he brings to the team as the World Famous Hockey Player, he thinks more and more of how amazing he is, and how his presence alone serves to inspire his fellow teammates. However, Snoopy gets a swift reality check when he gets summoned to the bench, and is told that he is playing goalie, so all the skills he listed will not be utilized.
Amusingly, the beagle's ego deflates tenfold after this turn of events on the ice. As much as Snoopy would like to think he has unbeatable traits on the ice, it is safe to say that reality does not quite align with his fantasy. Snoopy is no doubt severely annoyed that his talents – what he imagines himself to have – are not being used to their full potential.
2 "This Isn't Equipment...This Is My Lunch!"
First Published: December 26, 1979
Snoopy is a small dog with a big appetite. He lives to eat, not eats to live, savoring all of his beloved favorite foods and drinks, like root beer, chocolate chip cookies, and pizza. His love of eating makes an unexpected appearance in a hockey-centric comic strip. With Snoopy all dressed and ready to go play hockey, he brings a heavy-looking bag with him. Much to Charlie Brown's surprise, Snoopy's bag is not filled with hockey equipment – that would be much too logical for Snoopy – but with Snoopy's gargantuan lunch.
Snoopy first appeared as the World Famous Hockey Player on October 8, 1967.
If Snoopy can pack a mansion full of stuff into his small doghouse, one can only imagine all the pizza that he has managed to fit into his duffle bag. Snoopy is such a gifted hockey player that he does not even need equipment other than his hockey stick, with food being all he needs in his equipment bag.
1 "Cheap Shot!"
First Published: November 10, 1974
Playing hockey on the frozen bird bath in this Peanuts strip, Woodstock and Snoopy are locked into an intense match. When Snoopy flies off the birdbath into the snow, he calls it as a cheap shot done by Woodstock. Snoopy's bad call is just an example of him being a bad loser. Although, Snoopy is able to it that Woodstock's check that sent Snoopy soaring was legal, it is just hard for the competitive beagle to it it. At least Snoopy can it that it was a fair call, even if it is hard on his ego.
More times than not, Woodstock beats Snoopy in their hockey games, with this comic strip being a very clear example of Woodstock's skills as a hockey player, especially against Snoopy. While Snoopy may be Peanuts' World Famous Hockey player, maybe Woodstock is a little more deserving of this illustrious label than Snoopy.
Created by Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts is a multimedia franchise that began as a comic strip in the 1950s and eventually expanded to include films and a television series. Peanuts follows the daily adventures of the Peanuts gang, with Charlie Brown and his dog Snoopy at the center of them. Aside from the film released in 2015, the franchise also has several Holiday specials that air regularly on U.S. Television during their appropriate seasons.
