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Sticks - New for 2017 is the 2nd gen XCore product; the XC9 ACF. With a focus on swing weight, the XC9 ACF's balance point was tweaked to improve on that. It was lightened a bit in the shaft and blade - coming in at 415g. Their Braided Rib Tech that debuted on the A6.0 SBP last year has been added to the entire X series line. On the graphics side, the stick was given a bit more color in the upper part of the shaft. Available in all of True's patterns, however, a MC2 was added to the retail lineup. It is a xx9 clone. The stick is coming in at $279.99 USD in senior length. On the youth and junior side, the XC9 is offered in 4 different flexes; it is called the U-Flex. Comes in at 20/30/40/50 flex. The A Series is unchanged for 2017. Gloves - Unchanged for 2017. Pants - This is a new category for True for 2017, and it's an interesting take on the category. Their X-Tec Suspension protective package is in the hip and kidney pads - there is a X strap that goes across the pad on the side that sits against the body, creating a space between the body and the actual pad. Upon impact, it allows for the brunt of the impact to be dispersed, minimizing it as it carries through to the body. Here are some examples: The pant comes in two forward-canted fits, the XC9 which is a fitted pant, and the A6.0 SBP which is a classic fit. They both come with 800 denier nylon, zippers, antimicrobial liner and a 2" height adjustment system that is achieved with grommets. Also to note, the hip pads are cut differently. They are segmented for better flexion. So instead of having a single piece of curved plastic, you have a straight piece running down the pant (like goalie pants used to have) then the actual front hip pad.

I play with a goalie who wears a helmet/cage combo (like Hrudey used to wear). Thing is beat to crap. Mask is bent. I've encouraged him to get something new, but he seems happy with it. He bought new pads in the last few years. He had been using blue/white Kenesky pads (circa 1980's) and prior to that the old brown ones filled with horse hair, or whatever...damn things weighed a ton when they were wet.

that sucks... Guess you'll have to bring back the River Rats. (I had a lot of friends, and my now wife went to Albany U) lots of good times up there, and i think we even saw a few of those River Rat games...

I've heard of people being addicted to plastic surgery but not surgery surgery.

Finally getting my third (and hopefully last) incisional hernia repaired tomorrow morning. Just a very frustrating couple of years dealing with these stupid things. Planning on being able to return for Summer Jam if things go the way they should.

Is this ''showing off''? lol 1st time this happens to me, with my trusty Easton V9..

Once you played the puck back into the zone there was no reason to hold that space. You got the penalty for not trying to avoid the contact. It was a de facto check.

Politics in the locker room I can't stand listening to that sh*t, before or after the game. Hockey is the 1-2 hours a week where I can let go of all the sh!t on my mind and focus solely on nothing but how can we beat our opponent. The last thing I want to hear is a bunch of people running their mouths about politics - either side. It's bad enough that I live in the liberal epicenter of the Midwest, but for fu*k sake, this is hockey, not some GD coffee shop on State Street with a bunch of patchouli oil wearing hippies and arrogant college kids. Rant over.

Believe me I would have much rather kept the River Rats. Such a better name. Who doesn't love a dirty rat that came out of the Hudson?

That's what you get for stealing our Lowell Devils in 2010.

Howdy, That's really no better than the other guy that can't let it go. Some people are assholes. Ignore them. Mark (and yeah, sometimes I break my own rule too. :-)

Guys who refuse to shake your hand post-game because of ridiculous stuff that happened during the game. Context: guy from the other team went skating backwards, ran into me, goes flying, then crying to the ref that I cross-checked him. Incidental contact isn't a penalty last time I checked.. I should probably mention this guy is a) a ringer from a league or two up (my team's in D league), and b) is a known whiner and goon. After he got a goal waved off for a kicking motion, he was out for blood. Took hard, deliberate slashes at my stick the rest of the game, then puts me on my ass in front of the net and gets whistled. Guess what he did? Cried to the ref that I should go to the box for interference. On the way to the box, he proceeds to chirp me that "I need to learn to fucking play hockey.." That's why I'm in D league, to learn proper ways to play the game again after taking time off; sorry that you have to slum around here because you wanna goon it up, but whatever helps you sleep at night and makes you think your dick's bigger. But the crown of this was going through the handshake line. Pulled his hand up as I went by him. That's what made me angry here. I cannot stand poor sportsmanship. I'm sure it's been said many times on this website before by a lot of people, but seriously. If the final buzzer sounds, you let it go, line up, and no matter how much you wanna kill the other guy, you grow a pair, man up, and shake their hand. Go have a beer in the locker room, then go home. We all do this for fun, it's not the end of the world. Especially since some of us have to get up and go to work the next day. TL;DR: got ran by a ringer all game, and I was the asshole, apparently. Whatever, at least I scored two goals.