Social Sideline: How the NHL is Changing the Game

The National Hockey League has gone through tough times in recent years, thanks to a lockout that hurt all momentum the team once had. The league needed a new way to connect to and bring back fans and saw an opening in social media. Where many leagues and teams kept their social media accounts, particularly on Twitter, as professional as possible, the NHL began to write tweets in the similar fashion as a fan. Here, we take a look at just three examples of the league bucking the trend and breaking out from the crowd.

1. The Los Angeles Kings' Twitter Account - the Originator

The trend began to gain momentum during the Los Angeles Kings' Stanley Cup run in 2012, when the Kings' Twitter account started poking fun at the teams they eliminated and their fans. The team's Twitter followers skyrocketed, and the rest is history.

2. Twitter Fights Galore

One of the most popular parts of the game of hockey are the fights, so it only makes sense that teams take part in "Twitter fights." Take the rival Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks throwing Twitter jabs at one another. They will even pick fights outside the hockey world - see the Dallas Stars vs. Justin Bieber fans (Round 1 and Round 2).

3. They are more snarky than professional at times

Snarky is defined as "sarcastic, impertinent, or irreverent in tone or manner." This is where the "tweet more as fans than professionals" comes into play. Take, for example, this list of three examples the NHL has the best Twitter accounts (according to brocouncil.com). ESPN has been a popular source of snark for NHL Twitter accounts as well. SportsCenter has a reputation of ignoring hockey to focus on other sports, and some teams like to poke fun at that every now and then.