[Eleven]

That Christmas pic is great!

I forgot to mention earlier, when we were leaving the rink after the games this weekend, one of our dads came up to me and asked if I'd be interested in buying a stick he just got for his kid. He ordered it online and forgot to check if it came with stickum. His kid hated it and only used it this weekend.

So I was able to pick up an Easton Stealth RS intermediate for $75.00, its less than a week old and was only used in 4 games. The dad was so pissed, he thought his kid was being spoiled about not wanting to play with it without the stickum, but he didn't want to just give the stick away.

My kid won't stop growing, and luckily there are a handful of boys on the team bigger than him, so I'm working the 'Hand-me-down' angle as often as I can. Got him X60 skates last month, then this stick, and we also got him an Easton Synergy girdle from one of the families for him to try.

There are a few boys on the team who swear by girdles as opposed to regular hockey pants. The ones we just got are only 1 size larger than my kid is wearing now (which is too small) so I don't think he will be in them too long, they look snug but I'm told they are meant to be. I like the idea of all that extra protection being form-fitted, so we'll see how he likes it. Anyone have experience with the girdle and shells?