James McClure
James McClure is a contributor to THW's features on hockey history. When not procrastinating, he is a doctoral candidate who studies Shakespearean drama. His graduate work also analyzes representations of Canadian national identities in literature of the First World War. He blends this serious approach to literature with his hockey humour blog in order to offer a humourous approach to reviving hockey's past in the present.
Author's Posts
No Wall Space for Old Men:Tim Leiweke vs. Hockey History
July 18th, 2013 Forget James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier’s fight to seize the crease next season. MLSE’s new CEO Tim Leiweke embroiled the Toronto Maple Leafs in a new controversy that will dominate discussion of the blue-and-white this summer. In an interview published earlier this week, Leiweke proudly paraded about his plans...
Crowded Crease: Benefits Behind the Bernier-Reimer Rivalry
July 12th, 2013 If anything can be considered for certain in an off-season that has already seen Daniel Alfredsson snub the Ottawa Senators and Ilya Kovalchuk defect to the KHL, it's that the Toronto Maple Leafs' controversial acquisition of goaltender Jonathan Bernier will be rehashed repeatedly. At first, opinions on the trade generally ranged from...
Free Agency: The WHA's Greatest Legacy
July 9th, 2013 We might refer to the the day in which free agents can sign contracts with any team in the league as "NHL Independence Day" since this event bears many similarities to America's celebration of nationhood. Themes of war, resistance, and liberty prevail in both remembrances of the American Revolution and the World Hockey Association's...
Backdraft: How High Were Today's NHL GMs and Coaches Drafted?
June 29th, 2013 While preparing another post on the draft, I discovered that more of today's NHL General Managers and head coaches were selected at the 1978 Amateur Draft than any other draft to date. In order to verify that fact, I had to go through the bios of every GM and head coach to find out when they were drafted. This research produced a fun...
Will the Chicago Blackhawks' Championship Break the Toronto Maple Leafs' Curse?
June 26th, 2013 When the Chicago Blackhawks hoisted the Stanley Cup in TD Garden evening a after a surprising end to the 2013 NHL Playoffs--a game that happened exactly six weeks after and in the same arena as the Toronto Maple Leafs' unexpected collapse in the 3rd period of their final game of the postseason--the universe regained equilibrium after...
Mick vs. Quick: How the Rolling Stones Rocked the LA Kings Out of Stanley Cup Contention
June 12th, 2013 The scapegoat most blameworthy for the elimination of the LA Kings from the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs is perhaps the most unlikely candidate: The Rolling Stones. The Stones played three sold-out shows in Chicago on 28 and 31 May as well as 3 June. For the LA Kings, the Stones took playing sold-out shows to a new level as...
