Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Twitter Saves the Day for NHL Goaltenders

This past year, I've witnessed more unlucky goals in the NHL then I have ever seen in my entire life.  Whether the puck is dumped in from center ice, or it bounces out of no where and ends up in then net, the puck has seemed to find its way into the net this year more then normally.  With this new trend in goaltending, a variety of NHL star goaltenders have found a very creative way to help ease the tension they were receiving form the public.....Twitter.  Luongo is one of the most popular NHL figures on Twitter with his constant stream of punny comments, and hilarious photo's of his teammates.  After giving up a goal against the Florida Panthers this past year, he took to Twitter in an effort to stop the mocking he received from every hockey fan across the world.  He allowed a goal from center ice, and the puck bounced down the ice and right over his glove and in the goal.  Taking to Twitter, Luongo released a picture of himself with a large cardboard piece taped to the top of his glove, demonstrating the new addition he would like to add to his equipment in order to not allow goals like this again.

By doing so, Luongo made a joke of his recent tragedy during a game and sparked a trend within the goaltending community.  Since this post other NHL goaltenders, such as Jonathan Bernier, have released similar posts trying to ease the tension on themselves and from the public about the issues they've been having.  These accomplish a lot for not only the individual but for the organization.  Making these posts such a "fan favorite" provides great publicity for the teams and gives the public an insight look at the character of these players.  Demonstrating that they're not just a "big mean fighting machine", and rather normal people just like us.  These Twitter posts also provide the goalies a way of easing the tension on themselves and help them move forward after the incident.  I'm sure that we will likely see a lot more of these posts throughout different social media platforms as teams are now creating SnapChat accounts with stories demonstrating the day to day activities of the players, and Facebook accounts allowing the players to interact with fans.


source:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/02/11/toronto-maple-leafs-jonathan-bernier-is-off-the-hook-roberto-luongo-allowed-a-terrible-goal-against-anaheim-ducks/#__federated=1
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3 comments:

  1. UnknownApril 2, 2015 at 5:37 AM

    This is hilarious! I love the fact that the players are embracing they're mistakes and they're getting positive feedback from the fan base in return. It's nice to see social media create a big positive buzz for somebody, as apposed to a massive backlash. Props to Luongo for being able to joke around about that goal.

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  2. AnonymousApril 2, 2015 at 6:39 AM

    I think that this is a great example of how players can interact with the fan base using social media. It's also a great way for teams to make themselves look fun and likable. I think that teams who take advantage of social media and allow their players to have fun with it will see the biggest growth in fans.

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  3. UnknownApril 2, 2015 at 10:44 AM

    HAHA! I love the pictures you posted! I love when we hear about famous athletes and celebrities doing things like this because it reminds us that they are normal people too! I cannot think of a better way to embrace mistakes and disappointments by just being able to laugh about it and shake it off. I hope that this continues not just through the NHL but through other sporting leagues as well.

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