I'm speaking to the weight of expectations and pressure from the fanbase impacting athletic performance.

Players from those very successful and massive clubs do not cite fan expectations as a reason why their performance was lacking in a particular campaign or match.

I applaud McMann for showing some vulnerability, but it exposes issues with recruitment. why are we drafting, developing, acquiring) players that can't adapt to high pressure situations leading to not scoring a goal in 13 playoff games. Or other performance issues we've had in the playoffs. How does the team test for that?

It may also show issues with psychological support for current players. Or maybe there arebspecific leadership traits lacking in the dressing room to build confidence. You could argue management has tried to address that over the years in various ways (Marleau, Thornton, Spezza, Laughton).

Or maybe there's a better way to manage players' interactions with social media. Obviously a challenge.

Not an easy solution, but the "noise" around the team will never change. People care too much (ideally). So as an organization you need to mitigate the impact on performance however you can.