diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/execution/OrderedMemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/execution/OrderedMemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor.java
index bec1c71475..bfdd9fe28a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/execution/OrderedMemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/execution/OrderedMemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor.java
@@ -79,8 +79,7 @@ import org.jboss.netty.util.internal.ConcurrentIdentityWeakKeyHashMap;
 public class OrderedMemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor extends
         MemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor {
 
-    private final ConcurrentMap<Channel, Executor> childExecutors =
-        new ConcurrentIdentityWeakKeyHashMap<Channel, Executor>();
+    private final ConcurrentMap<Object, Executor> childExecutors = newChildExecutorMap();
 
     /**
      * Creates a new instance.
@@ -154,6 +153,18 @@ public class OrderedMemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor extends
                 keepAliveTime, unit, objectSizeEstimator, threadFactory);
     }
 
+    protected ConcurrentMap<Object, Executor> newChildExecutorMap() {
+        return new ConcurrentIdentityWeakKeyHashMap<Object, Executor>();
+    }
+
+    protected Object getChildExecutorKey(ChannelEvent e) {
+        return e.getChannel();
+    }
+
+    protected boolean removeChildExecutor(Object key) {
+        return childExecutors.remove(key) != null;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Executes the specified task concurrently while maintaining the event
      * order.
@@ -164,16 +175,16 @@ public class OrderedMemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor extends
             doUnorderedExecute(task);
         } else {
             ChannelEventRunnable r = (ChannelEventRunnable) task;
-            getOrderedExecutor(r.getEvent()).execute(task);
+            getChildExecutor(r.getEvent()).execute(task);
         }
     }
 
-    private Executor getOrderedExecutor(ChannelEvent e) {
-        Channel channel = e.getChannel();
-        Executor executor = childExecutors.get(channel);
+    private Executor getChildExecutor(ChannelEvent e) {
+        Object key = getChildExecutorKey(e);
+        Executor executor = childExecutors.get(key);
         if (executor == null) {
             executor = new ChildExecutor();
-            Executor oldExecutor = childExecutors.putIfAbsent(channel, executor);
+            Executor oldExecutor = childExecutors.putIfAbsent(key, executor);
             if (oldExecutor != null) {
                 executor = oldExecutor;
             }
@@ -181,6 +192,7 @@ public class OrderedMemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor extends
 
         // Remove the entry when the channel closes.
         if (e instanceof ChannelStateEvent) {
+            Channel channel = e.getChannel();
             ChannelStateEvent se = (ChannelStateEvent) e;
             if (se.getState() == ChannelState.OPEN &&
                 !channel.isOpen()) {