If your answer there is yes, you likely would have missed the best part of Monday afternoon’s game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Boston Bruins.

During the first intermission of this Columbus Day matinee game, the tykes made their way onto the ice for a shootout.  What is usually an enjoyable event that provides some laughs and a few tumbles from the kids, actually gave the crowd the greatest display of skill they would see all afternoon (and that is not an insult to the Avs or Bruins).

Oliver Wahlstrom of the Portland Jr. Pirates ’97 Pee Wee Major AAA club participated in Mini 1-on-1 at the  TD Garden Arena.  After picking up speed through the neutral zone, he preformed a lacrosse-like move, scooping the puck up while spinning and firing it into the net.

At only 9-years-old, Oliver has the skills to develop into a fine hockey player, and with the salary cap forcing NHL teams to rebuild through the draft, some GMs may want to begin taking a look his way.  After all, his draft eligibility is only six years from now, a reasonable timeline some teams may have regarding their Stanley Cup hopes.  In fact, Brian Burke may be at his door step already.