The bet: whether or not Ryan O'Reilly would stick with the Avalanche beyond the 10-game mark. I said no, Avs radio play-by-play man Mark Moser said yes. But we couldn't come to a consensus over what the loser would pay.

Consider this — exposing myself as a fool in the case of Radar O'Reilly — the payoff, Moser.

I'll admit, I didn't think O'Reilly would stick. I thought he would be a member of the Erie Otters by now, a promising prospect for the Avs' future, with the key word being future. But the future is now with O'Reilly, it's clear. Stupid me.

If the Calder Trophy for NHL rookie of the year were voted on today, is there any doubt the winner would be O'Reilly? Entering Sunday's games, O'Reilly was second in the NHL to Dallas' Nicklas Grossman in plus-minus (plus-10) and had a seven-game point streak. O'Reilly has also been a big part of a penalty-killing unit that ranked sixth in the league, and he has shown a versatility most veterans never show by playing both center and left wing with equal aplomb.

Now we know why the Avs' scouting staff was sweating bullets when the Detroit Red Wings were on the clock with the 32nd pick in June's NHL draft. The Avs had the 33rd pick, and chief scout Rick Pracey was dumbfounded a kid he had marked as a surefire first-rounder was still available. Landon Ferraro, the son of former NHLer Ray Ferraro, may turn out to be a fine player with Detroit, but when his name was called, Pracey and other Avs personnel couldn't move fast enough to proclaim O'Reilly the 33rd choice.


Now we know why. But still, O'Reilly's play has astounded even the most optimistic people in Avs management. Really, they all thought he would need another year, at least, of junior experience before having a realistic shot at staying with the big club.

How wrong they were, and how wrong I was too. O'Reilly, in the words of Avs TV analyst Peter McNab, "just knows how to play the game of hockey, in a way you can't teach. You can try to teach it all you want, but guys either have it or they don't."

While higher picks such as Ferraro are currently toiling in junior, O'Reilly already is living the high life and making a lot of people who weren't sure about him look awfully stupid.

People like me.