No matter what you think about social media and websites such as Facebook and Twitter, there is no question that it is much easier to stay up-to-date on the events of the day because of them. Instead of waiting for the nightly news on your local television station, or waiting until you get home to check your favorite news website online, you can find out exactly what is going on in the world by grabbing your cell phone and logging in to Twitter. What makes Twitter so great is that you can pick and choose who you select to follow, resulting in a customized timeline of news that matters to you, which is why of course the vast majority of people that I follow are people in the hockey industry. It makes days like Free Agent Frenzy and the NHL Trade Deadline so exciting, as @TSNBobMcKenzie and @DarrenDreger usually tweet it before they report it on TSN!
What makes Twitter even more exciting for hockey fans is the fact that many players have followed the trail blazed by @BizNasty2point0 and have found a different way to connect with their fans. Many NHL players are on Twitter, but it seems that a large number of Winnipeg Jets players are taking advantage of this opportunity. Andrew Ladd, Evander Kane, Blake Wheeler, Alexander Burmistrov, Eric Fehr, Carl Klingberg and Ben Maxwell all make regular contributions, and more Jets have been added lately, including Tanner Glass and Tim Stapleton.
Unfortunately for fans of the sport, the NHL has just insituted a new Social Media Policy that will keep players from tweeting on game-days, but off-days will still be open for business. Luckily this policy didn't effect their ability to tweet over the summer, as a number of Winnipeg Jets tweeted their feelings during the offseason about many things, including the move from Atlanta, the Jets name, and how awesome Winnipeg is. Don't believe me? Check it out after the jump – almost every tweet says that Winnipeg is great and many included exclamation marks! Stay tuned for more editions of Jets Tweets as the season goes on!
Eric Fehr tweeted this the same day he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets. In fact, if I recall correctly it was within an hour of the announcement. He was actually in his hometown of Winkler, MB attending a charity golf tournament at the time. Sure he did a ton of press later in the day, but it was pretty neat to see that he couldn’t wait until then to show how happy he was to be a Jet.
Evander Kane changed his Twitter handle after the announcement of the Jets name during the NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota, but he tweeted this shortly after the Jets selected Mark Scheifeile with the 7th overall selection. It certainly looked like the players were just as interested in knowing the name of the team as the fans were!
Alex Burmistrov may be one of the most entertaining Jets to follow on Twitter. It is obvious that the young Russian still struggles with the English language, but I completely love the fact that he tweets in his broken English anyways. The ‘winks’ and ‘smiley faces’ just add to his charm. I am officially rooting for this guy.
Blake Wheeler is another beauty of a follow on Twitter. I have seen many funny tweets out of this account over the summer, and now that he is in Winnipeg he has even asked the fans to let him know where the best burrito in town is. While the above tweet may have come out after the signing was made official by TSN or some other site, I know that I found out via Twitter. Awesome.
Andrew Ladd had a pretty big summer. He signed his big contract with the Jets, becoming the first captain of the Winnipeg Jets 2.0, and yet he still found enough time to get married. Somehow he is able to kind enough spare moments to tweet to his fans, and this one came out last month as he was going out to explore his new home. Very cool.
Ben Maxwell may or may not make the Jets this season, but it is nice to see another player be excited about coming to Winnipeg. It also helps that I have him in a Fantasy Hockey Keeper League, so being able to follow a player on my fantasy roster makes it even more interesting. I hope he makes the big squad – I could use the help in my league!
