Chris McCluskey
@mcclusk • 3,884 subscribers
Senior Writer, Editor-in-Chief + 38x Employee of the Month at @mcclusk
Shorts
Videos
Leafs Nation, Toronto... This is noresponse.mp4 and it is my Mona Lisa.
Chris McCluskey183,273 views • 4 months ago
The Leafs traded Nazem Kadri on a great contract after back-to-back suspensions in the playoffs for retaliation in defense of his teammates. Does anyone believe what Kadri did was more indicting than say… William Nylander watching Matthews’ knee get blown out on a dirty play, doing nothing, and telling the media he didn’t see it despite video evidence to the contrary?
Chris McCluskey100,416 views • 4 months ago
I wrote an article earlier this week, lamenting about Keith Pelley openly stating his preference to 'retool' before conducting the search for the next General Manager. "I’ll never understand why he tipped his hand back in March, immediately after firing Brad Treliving. According to Pelley, the team interviewed 27 candidates for the head of hockey operations. What an incredible, unrepeatable opportunity to survey 27 of the sharpest executives in the NHL on what the Leafs truly need to win, free of preconceived notions. With the franchise at a genuine crossroads, wouldn’t you want unfiltered feedback? What if 24 of those 27 candidates believed a full rebuild was necessary? By telegraphing the preferred direction upfront, the organization contaminated the process. Some candidates inevitably molded their pitches to fit what Keith Pelley wanted to hear. Valuable, honest information was lost." For all the same reasons, it was refreshing to hear John Chayka take the opposite approach when responding to questions about what he’s looking for in the next head coach this afternoon. This is the way.
Chris McCluskey56,824 views • 2 months ago
“Mitch Marner disappears in the playoffs” One of the coolest parts about X is the having the ability to communicate with thousands of people who live in an entirely different universe. In my native reality, Mitch Marner is ranked 28th overall in points-per-game in the playoffs since he’s come into the league among players with 25+ playoff games played. Tied with Barkov and Ovechkin. That’s higher than all other Leafs, Panarin, Bergeron, Tkachuk, Stamkos, J. Robertson, and plenty more. Again, this is from the time he was a rookie - a wee lad. He’s 12th overall in the last 3 seasons with the same filter - and again, 1st on the Leafs. There is a SIGNIFICANT drop off, league-wide, in playoff scoring. This is not a recent phenomenon. There are 33 players with a point-per-game pace or better over the last 3 regular seasons. There are only 13 players at a point-per-game pace or better over the last 3 playoffs - Marner is one of them. Yes, even with his less productive post-season this year. This narrative that Marner disappears in the playoffs is weighted far too heavily on the confirmation bias of disgruntled fans online after the Leafs get eliminated. It is not rooted in reality. Full blown Marner Derangement Syndrome. There are plenty of justifiable reasons for trading Marner. His ability is not one of them. Here’s a quick highlight pack of Marner in the playoffs over the last 3 seasons for those of you whose bias has turned 16’s jersey into an invisibility cloak (courtesy of Danny9 & HockeyAllStar5): #leafsforever
Chris McCluskey301,448 views • 2 years ago
There’s no question Canada’s the little brother to the United States, but we’ve always had big bro’s back. Always. And they’ve had ours. Many Americans have trivialized our alliance based on the size of our military and our population. To anyone who cares more about the size of our country than the size of our hearts, fuck yourself. That’s not necessarily Matthew Tkachuk, though - I don’t blame Tkachuk for not liking the boos at all. I wouldn’t either. But, if you gave me the choice between the President of the United States, his executive branch, his family, members of the house, the senate, and millions of American citizens full out disrespecting Canada and its sovereignty…. or…. “O Canada” getting booed during a few hockey games (so far)… I gotta think I’d be far less offended by the boos. The boos are merely a communication mechanism that was organically conjured up to deliver a message from the people of Canada to the people of America. 20,000 people aligned, sharing a sentiment, without preparation. Fascinating, really. I know Americans are sensitive to their patriotism - rightfully so - but this isn’t a ceremonial flag burning. It’s a utility for expression. If it didn’t sting, it wouldn’t be effective. Don’t like it? That’s fine, so long as we’re all on the same page that Canada didn’t just randomly turn into a bunch of assholes overnight. I just hope America heard us when the message was different, and I hope they remember. It’d be a shame if they didn’t.
Chris McCluskey55,173 views • 1 year ago
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