(Strip Number 4095, Original Publication Date, 30 November 1981)
Panel 1: We start things off with John helping Mike put on his uniform; since Lynn needs to tell people what's happening instead of letting them figure it out for themselves, John says "Okay, shin pads, elbow pads...everything's in order here."
Panel 2: Having witnessed the result and, like any parent, convinced that his son is the next Gordie Howe, John tells Elly to come in and take a look at Mike in his uniform. It should be noted that he's wearing a mask that has vertical bars; this becomes important later.
Panel 3: Having expected Elly to praise him and having instead noticed the wistful frown that's plastered on his mother's face, Mike asks her what's wrong.
Panel 4: Elly tells him that the last time he looked at her like that, he was in a playpen; this, of course, is owing to a vague similarity between Mike's hockey mask with its vertical bars and the bars of a crib.
Summary: That's sort of touching but it's also not what Mike expected to be told. That's Elly's whole problem, though; even when she does mean well, her total inability to see the world through any other perspective than her own hampers her ability to bond with those around her.