NHL fans can follow along and chat with fellow supporters through #HockeyTwitter. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Twitter has launched a new #HockeyTwitter campaign to embrace and enhance the social media conversation around the NHL.
Twitter’s primary sports account in Canada announced the effort with a video starring noted hockey reporters and influencers, including actor (and hockey fan) Jay Baruchel. The social media company introduced a new emoji triggered by the #HockeyTwitter hashtag (a hockey stick and puck in a speech bubble) and grouped key hockey players and commentators for users to follow with a single click. SportsNet Canada debuted a new weekly hockey show on Twitter back in October called #IceSurfing.
The news came with a report of the top-10 most mentioned teams and most mentioned players so far in the 2018-19 season. The Toronto Maple Leafs were the No. 1 team and their newly paired superstars, Auston Matthews and John Tavares, were the No. 1 and 3 players.
Most Mentioned Teams of 2018-19 Season
- Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (@Penguins)
- Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights)
- Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks)
- Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL)
- Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres)
- Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers)
- Washington Capitals (@Capitals)
- Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins)
- New York Rangers (@NYRangers)
Most Mentioned Players of 2018-19 Season
- Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs (@AM34)
- Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks (@_EPettersson)
- John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs (@91Tavares)
- Max Domi, Montreal Canadiens (@max_domi)
- Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (@ovi8)
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (@cmcdavid97)
- Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets (@PatrikLaine29)
- Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs (@Marner93)
- Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals (@tom_wilso)
- Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (@88PKane)
SportTechie Takeaway
Collections of sports fans have long self-identified in unofficial Twitter sub-populations with teams and leagues, but providing an organizational thread may encourage discovery of more like-minded accounts.
Also of note is that, of the eight most-mentioned players, only one—No. 5 Ovechkin—does not play for a Canadian team. That might explain why the launch tweet came from the Canadian Sports Twitter account. Eight U.S. franchises populate the rest of the list, however, showing some cross-border appeal.
