McDavid, Matthews help their NHL teams competing online for fans’ attention
TORONTO — Even before the puck dropped on the NHL season, Canada’s teams were in competition with each other on social media.
Building an online community has become a going concern among NHL teams, especially with 74 per cent of Canadian Twitter users describing themselves as hockey fans. Just like on the ice, phenoms Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews have given the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively, an edge over the competition.
Matthews and McDavid were the players on Canadian teams most tweeted about during the 2016-17 season. Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price was third and, unsurprisingly, their teams were the most followed in the past 12 months.
“These young stars in all the different Canadian cities are really driving a lot of conversation,” said Christopher Doyle, head of sports for Twitter Canada, on Wednesday. “When we looked at the top 10 most mentioned players on Canadian teams, it was Matthews, McDavid, Carey Price of the Canadiens, always have a lot of conversation.