INSIDE HOCKEY

The controversy sparked by agent Allan Walsh’s Tweet this weekend promoting his client, Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak, has brought Twitter to the forefront of hockey discussions. 

Walsh, angling for playing time for Halak, wrote a Tweet that was an obvious stab at Montreal goalie Carey Price, "Interesting stat of the night....Price is 10W, 32L in last 42 starts. Hmm."  

While the Tweet in question probably caused some internal strife between Price and Halak and certainly caused and outrage among media and fans, the Twitter question is now front and center.

Right now the NHL has a chance.  Perhaps this is the one opening the league has been waiting for to enter the national spotlight.  

Twitter mania has taken control of the country.  In the sports world athletes, agents, executives, writers, TV personalities, radio hosts, bloggers, and fans utilize the newest form of communication in a variety of ways. 

A genuine community has been forged between members of the media and fans unlike any we’ve seen before.  Now instead of regulated weekly or monthly chats, media members can communicate daily with their audiences.  Not only does this appeal to fans who can be far more involved and equal to renowned news and opinion distributors, but it enables media to cultivate their audiences and learn exactly what fans want to know.  Additionally, media members have found that fans have some interesting things to say and that Twitter can be an excellent open forum for story idea generation.

NHL players have been slow to embrace Twitter.  Former goalie Kevin Weekes is the most active user, and players like Patrik Elias and Martin Havlat have dabbled.  But NHL players lag behind the NBA and NFL where dozens of stars like Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Durant, Chad Ochocinco, and Larry Fitzgerald Tweet regularly.

The effectiveness of athlete Tweeting is evident everywhere.  Athletes use Twitter to discuss their workouts, upcoming opponents, and communicate with fans.  They even frequently correspond with each other.

NBA players compliment each other on well played games as Dwight Howard did on November 8th “@KevinDurant35 good game my boy yall looked great tonight,” and even discuss activities away from the game as James Harden did on November 7th, “Movies wit @jeff_green22 @jcam5 and @russwest44..about to see law abiding citizens again!!” 

NFL players use Twitter a little differently.  Instead of complimenting each other, they frequently talk trash. 

The famous Twitter battle between Shawne Merriman and Chad Ochocinco on June 24 is but one example.  On October 30 Darnell Dockett of the Cardinals Tweeted in response to a fine levied on Ahmad Bradshaw of the Giants for punching him in a game, “Please NFL & Commisioner don't fine #Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw $5,000 for throwing a pillow at me, My 3yr old son hit harder, please REFUND.” 

This shows fans a seldom seen before side of players, peer interaction.  Both styles of Tweeting showcase far more personality than typical postgame player interviews and press conferences have done in the past.

So far no one has figured out how to unite the Twitter community of players, media, and fans.  Every piece is there, but fitting the puzzle together is a tall task. 

Commissioner Gary Bettman must pounce on this opportunity.  The “new” NHL may have resulted in a goal scoring jump, but marketing the NHL hasn’t enjoyed much success.  Sure the NHL has produced some funny commercials in recent years, but they are more attractive to actual hockey fans, not sports fans in general.  Various figures show very slight growth in attendance figures if any at all.  However if the NHL can create an effective system to force players to Tweet and allow fans unprecedented interaction and access, Bettman has a rare chance to catapult the NHL ahead of the other major sports. 

Fans would fall over themselves at the chance to communicate with Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin on a regular basis.  And one can only imagine what gems would spew out of Sean Avery’s Twitter feed. 

Bettman should be working around the clock to figure out how to maximize Twitter’s capability.  He should immediately require players to create Twitter accounts and hold mandatory classes teaching them how to use the site effectively and connect with fans.  Twitter won’t appeal to all of them, but if NHL players ask their counterparts in other sports, they’ll find that many of them are quite fond of the social networking site.

If Bettman can show his colleagues how successful Twitter can be in connecting with fans, the NHL can corner the Twitter market before the other leagues catch on.  Inevitably one domino will fall and every professional league will follow, but if the NHL can give fans something new and special before anyone else, it will win supporters over.    

Hockey is undoubtedly the most modern and creative of the major sports, its time it utilized those traits off the playing surface.  And maybe, just maybe, the NHL will finally start to reach its pre-lockout goal of increasing its fan-base.