When Ralph, Reggie, and Bert arrived at the hospital, they found not only Schafer, Melissa, and Cedric there, but also Cyril and the Pigs.
"What are you guys doing here?" Ralph asked.
"I called Pop to tell him what happened," Cedric said.
"Then he told us to drive down here immediately," Lloyd said, shrugging.
"What about the kids?" Bert asked.
"He left them with Nicole," Melissa explained.
"I know what you're all thinking," Cyril said. "And let me just tell you this. I may be mean and heartless, but I'm not that mean and heartless! I can't let Sofa Girl attempt to walk home in this weather after a head injury! She's likely to fall and kill herself!"
"How is she, anyway?" Ralph said.
"We don't know yet," Cedric replied. "She's still in the examining room."
"I'm really sorry, Cedric," Reggie said. "I shouldn't have attempted my dad's move."
"The one that broke my window," Cyril mumbled. Reggie and Cedric ignored him.
"Don't worry about it, Reggie," Cedric said. "It was an accident after all."
"Thanks," Reggie said. "But when Doc finds out about it, I'm gonna get read the riot act."
"Not necessarily, Reginald," Dr. Canard said, coming out of the examining room. "Though you are going to get a slight talking to in a minute."
"How's Sophia, Dr. Canard?" Cedric asked.
"Fine, just fine," Dr. Canard assured him. "Luckily, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Just a bad bump on the head, nothing too serious, though she'll probably have a bad headache in the morning. I want to keep her overnight for observation, and she'll be able to go home tomorrow."
"That's good," Ralph said.
"Can I go in and see her?" Cedric asked.
"No, I'm afraid not, Cedric," Dr. Canard said. "I want her to get some rest. And as for you, Reginald, what in the world were you thinking? You know you can't do that move of Danny's!"
"I know, I know," Reggie groaned. "But these six guys dared me to do it, and . . . ."
"And I suppose if they dared you to jump off a bridge, you'd do that, too? Reginald, every time you try to do that move of Danny's someone gets hurt, or something gets broken."
"Like my window for example," Cyril commented.
"I'll talk to Dad about that when I get home, Mr. Sneer!" Reggie shouted. "Good grief, it's been ten years since that incident! Give it a rest!"
"I'm sure you'll master that move with a little practice, Reg," Bert replied, coming over. "And speaking of practice, we'd better get back out on the lake and practice for the game against the Gang of Six on Saturday!"
"Game?" Cedric asked.
"What did you do now, Bert?!" Melissa groaned.
"He didn't," Reggie said. "I opened my big mouth, snapped a stick in two, and the game was on."
"Oh no, not again," Schafer groaned.
"Come on, you guys, we can't let them take over the lake!" Bert shouted. "It's public property!"
"Want to borrow my bears?" Cyril asked.
"No thanks, Pop," Cedric said. "We can handle it."
"Yeah, we handled it before," Bert said. "When you tried to destroy the lake!"
"Oh come off it," Cyril said. Then he and the Pigs left the hospital. The others left as well and went back to the lake to practice.
Practice was pretty much the same as it had been the first time the Raccoons and their friends had tried to save Evergreen Lake.
The next day, the Raccoons and their friends were at the Sneer mansion. They wanted to check in on Sophia. She was laying in bed when they arrived. She had a bandage wrapped around her head, and Cedric was holding an ice bag to it.
"Hi, Sophia!" Melissa called, as she and the others came into the room.
"How are you feeling?" Schafer asked.
"Much better," Sophia said. "My head still hurts a little, but not as much as it did when that hockey puck hit it."
"I'm really sorry, Sophia," Reggie said. "I didn't mean to smack your head with the puck."
"Oh, it's okay, Reggie," Sophia said. "It was just an accident."
"We'd stay and talk some more, Sophia, but we've got practicing to do," Cedric said. "We have a game against that gang on Saturday, and we want to be ready for them, and you need your rest."
"Oh Cedric! I'm fine!" Sophia shouted. "Dr. Canard said so! He said there was no reason not to go back to my normal routine!"
"Better safe than sorry," Cedric replied. "I'd feel better about this whole thing if you just staid in bed and rest today. Don't make me post guards at the door."
"Oh, all right, Cedric," Sophia said with a sigh. "See you later, everyone."
"Bye, Sophia," Ralph said, and the group left the room.
The Raccoons and their friends were about to leave when the Pigs ran out and stopped them.
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Lloyd said. "The boss wants to see all of you!"
"All of us?" Schafer asked.
"What does Pop want all of us for?" Cedric asked.
"Oh, you'll see," Boyd said.
The group shrugged, and started towards Cyril's office. They were a bit surprised to see him standing there, talking to Mrs. Pig, the Pigs' mother.
"Hey, Mrs. Pig!" Bert shouted. "When did you get here?"
"Early this morning," Mrs. Pig said. "The boys called me and told me about your hockey game, so I came to cheer you on. And I have a surprise for all of you."
"Chocolate brownies, I hope," Bert said, licking his lips hungrily.
"Oh Bert!" Melissa laughed.
"When the boys called and told me about the game," Mrs. Pig continued, pulling a box off Cyril's desk. "I made these for you."
Mrs. Pig reached inside the box, and pulled out what looked like a hockey jersey. It was white with a blue and green stripe on each sleeve. On the front was an Evergreen tree, inside of a blue ring. On the outside of the ring were the words "Evergreen Raccoons."
"Hey, we'll really look like a professional hockey team with these!" Bert shouted, as Mrs. Pig handed him the jersey. Then he looked on the back, and smiled. "Hey! Check this out, gang! B. Raccoon! And the number seven! Lucky seven! Wow!"
"Just like the professionals!" Cedric shouted, and he immediately took off his New York Islanders jersey, and threw on the new one. "Thanks, Mrs. Pig!"
"These are really great," Melissa shouted. "How did you manage to make them all in one night?"
"Oh, I didn't do it all in one night," Mrs. Pig said. "I started making these when the boys told me about how you all saved Evergreen Lake, though I'm still not sure what in the world possessed you to build a hockey arena over it in the first place, Mr. Sneer."
"Yes, well . . . ." Cyril said. And he left it at that.
"I only had to make one jersey from scratch last night," Mrs. Pig said, pulling one jersey out. She handed it to Reggie. "I hope you like it."
Reggie unfolded the jersey, and looked at the back of it. It read "R. Drake," but Reggie's smile slowly faded when he saw the number Mrs. Pig had put on it. 29.
"Hey, twenty-nine!" Bert shouted. "Just like your dad, Reggie!"
"Oh yes," Mrs. Pig said. "My boys are such big fans of your father, Reggie."
"So I've noticed," Reggie said, a bit unenthusiastically.
"What's the matter, Reg?" Bert asked. "Don't you like it?"
"Oh, no, it's great, it's really great," Reggie said. "I like it, I really do. Thanks a lot, Mrs. Pig."
"Oh, you're welcome," Mrs. Pig said. "I'm so glad you like it. I can't wait to see the game. And I'm sure if you're anything like Danny Drake, Reggie, you'll be wonderful."
The others began to talk all at once about the game just then, mostly how Cedric and Reggie, the son of Danny Drake, were going to wipe the ice with the Gang of Six. Reggie turned away from all of them, and stared at the 29 on the back of his jersey.
"Wonderful," he said, sarcastically. "Just wonderful."
Later, all donning their new hockey jerseys, the Evergreen Raccoons were out on the lake practicing. It was hard work, but the team stuck to it.
"We don't need to practice!" Bert shouted, passing the puck to Ralph. "We're great! We've got Cedric, the best hockey player in the Evergreen Forest! And we've also got Reggie! The son of the great Danny Drake! Reggie'll play just like his dad!"
"Hey, come on, Bert," Reggie said, feeling a bit exasperated. "Let's just practice, okay?"
"Hey, Reg, check out this move!" Bert shouted. "I saw your dad do it once!"
Bert swerved to the left, and smacked the puck. It sailed right over to Ralph, who shot it towards the goal. Schafer caught it though.
"Aw rats," Bert said. "But I'm glad to see you're on your toes, Schafer. Okay, come on, Reggie boy! Show us some of that Drake talent!"
"Okay," Reggie said. "Schafer, pass me the puck."
Schafer hit the puck to Reggie, and Reggie swatted it back and forth with the stick, passing it to Cedric. Cedric shot it through the goal.
"Oh come on Reggie!" Bert shouted. "Stop being so modest!"
"I'm not being modest, Bert," Reggie said. "That's my Drake talent."
"Yeah, but it isn't Danny Drake talent," Bert said. "Come on, buddy, you can do better than that! You're Danny Drake's son! Hey, you know that move your dad used once during the play offs? You know, how he twisted around the entire defense, and then back handed the puck right into the goal? Show us that one, Reg! And then, show us the move your dad did when he did that wrap around shot! And when he did the long bomb that shot the puck from the Ducks goal to the opposing team! Man, that goalie didn't even know what hit him! And . . . . and show us the move your dad used when he was up against the entire defensive line! Oh, man, wasn't your dad just the greatest when he scored a goal right after the first face-off? Reggie, you've got to do that in the game Saturday!"
Bert kept right on talking about Danny Drake just then. Reggie had been awfully quiet throughout that whole thing, but Ralph, Melissa, Cedric, and Schafer could tell he was becoming a little edgy. But what Bert said next really pushed Reggie over the top.
"Come on, Reggie!" he shouted. "We've gotta show that Gang of Six that nobody can push around Danny Drake's son and his pals!"
"Oh, Bert, would you just shut up!" Reggie shouted, throwing his hockey stick on the ice.
"Huh?" Bert asked. "What's the matter?"
"Just stop it, okay?!" Reggie shouted. "You sound like all the others! Every single one! Everyone I thought was my friend, but it only turned out they wanted to be my friend because of my dad! All anybody ever says to me is how great Danny Drake is! And then when they find out I can't do the things my dad does . . . . and all anyone ever refers to me as is Danny Drake's son! I'm not just Danny Drake's son, you know! I'm not a carbon copy of my dad! I'm my own person! I thought you'd be different, Bert, but it turns out you're just like all the others! If you think my dad's so great, then get him to come play for your team! You obviously need Danny Drake, and not Danny Drake's son!"
And with that, Reggie stormed off the lake, leaving the Raccoons, Cedric, and Schafer a bit stupefied. Bert looked over at the others.
"Shee! What's his problem?" he asked.
"Oh Bert," Melissa sighed.
"I think you hurt Reggie's feelings," Cedric said. "I mean, ever since you found out his dad is Danny Drake, that's all you've been talking to him about."
"Well . . . . what's the big deal?" Bert asked. "I mean, shouldn't he be happy he's got a famous father? What guy in the world wouldn't love to have a sports hero for a dad?"
"Bert, put yourself in Reggie's shoes for a minute," Ralph said. "What if your father was a professional hockey player like Danny Drake?"
"Then that would be the greatest thing in the world!" Bert shouted.
"It may seem that way," Ralph said. "But what if your father's hockey team won almost every game he's played in? And all anyone can talk to you about is how great your father is, and how talented he is, and how they want you to show off your skills, only to find out that you're not as good as your father, and people tell you that they were expecting more from you? And how everyone refers to you as your dad's son?"
"Gee . . . ." Bert said, sheepishly. "I . . . . I never thought of it that way."
"Did you see his reaction when Mrs. Pig gave him that jersey?" Cedric asked. "Number twenty-nine. That's his dad's number. That couldn't have been good for his morale."
"You guys are right," Bert said. "I'm gonna go find Reggie."
"And I'll talk to Mrs. Pig," Cedric said. "I'm sure she'd agree to change the number on Reggie's jersey."
The others nodded, and got back to practicing. Bert went to the Raccoondominium, and up the stairs. The bedroom door was closed so he knocked.
"Reg, you in there?" he asked.
"What do you want, Bert?" Reggie asked, sounding fed up with everything.
"I just want to apologize," Bert said, opening the door. Reggie was laying on the bottom bunk, looking through a comic book. He didn't bother looking up. Bert noticed that his Evergreen Raccoons jersey was laying on the floor, as if he had taken it off and threw it, not caring where it landed.
"I guess I got a little crazy," Bert said. Then he thought it over. "Make that a lot crazy. I didn't realize how you felt about your dad."
"It isn't that, Bert," Reggie said, sitting up. "I don't hate my dad. I just hate being stuck in his shadow, and I hate everyone comparing me to him. It's like they don't even care about me."
"I think I understand why you didn't tell me your dad was Danny Drake. Listen, Reggie, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Cedric's talking to Mrs. Pig, and she's gonna make you a new jersey with a new number. And you want to know something else?"
"What?"
"In that game on Saturday, you're gonna be even better than Danny Drake!"
"Thanks a lot, Bert."
"So we still pals?"
"You got it!"
Reggie and Bert shook on it, and then headed back to the lake for practice.