Okay, so perhaps it is a bit premature to be saying that, but after what Tomas Hertl did last night, can you really blame us?

The San Jose Sharks rookie forward scored 4 goals (!) last night.  Each goal he scored was more impressive than the one before and his piece de resistance was this.

Salty.  Like the ocean.

Best thing about this goal?  You know that he’s totally been practicing that shot since he was a little kid.  He already had the hat trick going, so why not?  It’s not really like he had anything to lose at that point.   Your team is winning (in large part, thanks to you).  You’re streaking to the net alone.  You’re on a high like us after a case of Mexi-colas and Tim Horton’s Timbits.

If he misses, he gets made fun of mercilessly in the locker room as is want to happen when you’re a rookie.  Or he makes it and makes history.

The look on his face says it all.

“I can’t believe that ACTUALLY worked.”

He can’t stop smiling.  He won’t stop smiling.  Neither can we. [click here for smiley, happy, good-time post game interview]

With his performance last night, Herlt becomes the 4th youngest player in NHL history to score 4 goals in a game and the first to do so since 1988.

Just so you are aware, Tomas Hertl was born in 1993.

You know what we were doing in 1993?

We were in high school.