I’ve been getting more and more active with my Twitter monitoring lately, and it really is one of the best ways for anyone to get information on the things that they’re interested in. I looked around and didn’t see any recent Twitter guides for Canuck fans, so I thought it might be helpful to write one up.
Follow These Ten:
Rick Dhaliwal, @DhaliwalSports- Not only is Dhaliwal reliable for any and all roster movement news about the organization, he’s also broken a number of stories in recent years. Dhaliwal is one of the few credible sources for Canucks-related speculation on the internet. He’s also great at posting relevant quotes from interviews.
Ryan Biech, @RyanBiech- Biech is employed by a number of organizations, including CanucksArmy and The Athletic, but beyond that he’s by far the best source of information related to Vancouver Canucks prospects on all of social media. Following his feed means getting daily updates on prospects all over the world, usually with accompanying highlights.
Canucks Army, @CanucksArmy– Canucks Army are one of the most prolific publishers of Canucks content on the web, and they’re particular adept at providing “fancy stats” and putting them into context for ordinary fans.
Utica Comets, @UticaComets- Those who want to follow the Comets closely, but don’t have time to actually watch the games, would be fine just following the Comets on Twitter. They post a ton of content each day, and engage in plenty of fun banter with other AHL franchises. Best of all, during games, the account posts nearly instant highlight GIFs of anything significant that happens.
Jeff Paterson, @patersonjeff- Paterson is one of the quickest sources of information related to the Canucks, in addition to being a strong writer and reasonable pundit. You can always count on Paterson for info direct from practice and game day skates.
Dan Murphy, @sportsnetmurph- Murph travels with the team, so he provides a level of access that others simply aren’t able to. Murph tweets about pretty much everything, but his snapshots of John Garrett eating is his feed’s best feature by far.
Ihaveyuidonttouchme, @ihaveyuidonttou- One of the weirdest handles on Twitter actually belongs to popular Canucks social media presence Kid Roll, and his feed is almost entirely content-driven. If you want highlights of Vancouver Canucks prospects and little else, this is the feed for you.
Elliotte Friedman, @FriedgeHNIC- If you’re going to follow one “league-wide” source on Twitter, make it Friedman. This is a man with his finger on the pulse of the league, and although his speculation isn’t always sound, he makes clear when he’s speaking factually, in which case he is always credible.
Wyatt Arndt, @TheStanchion- Thought of by some as Botchford’s backup, Wyatt is actually the superior source of Canuck-related hot takes and humour on Twitter. Always good for a laugh.
Strombone, @strombone1- The mystery of Strombone’s identity has long since been solved, but Roberto Luongo remains a funnier and more rewarding follow on Twitter than any of the current Vancouver Canucks.
Don’t Follow These Five:
Vancouver Canucks, @Canucks- That’s right, I’m advising against following the Canucks’ official account on Twitter. This only really applies for those who PVR their games, like I do. I can’t count the number of times I’ve accidentally spoiled the score for myself whilst trying to check Twitter and see if the world is currently ending. Better to just avoid this one altogether.
By Extension, Almost Anyone Seen Replying To @Canucks- Those who insist on replying to the official Canucks account should also generally be avoided, but for a very different reason. Twitter and Facebook comments tend to be the most toxic places among any fanbase, and the Canucks are no different. Get ready to be incredibly frustrated if you dare dip into these threads of conversation.
Hockey Buzz Eklund, @Eklund- In general, all alleged hockey “rumour” accounts should be avoided. They rarely traffic in legitimate information, and they specifically target Canadian markets with their most salacious rumours. Eklund is the granddaddy of these rumour-mongers, and he continues to be a daily source of absolute bologna.
Tanbir, @TRana87- An old frequenter of Canuck radio call-in shows, Tanbir From Surrey is playing the shtick of stupid Canuck fan that stopped being funny a long while ago. Tanbir’s habit of claiming insider information is also an annoying trait.
Jason Botchford, @botchford- This is my hottest take on the list, for sure, but that’s appropriate for the master of taking hot himself. Botchford has close connections with the team and remains popular among the fanbase, but he often seems like a TMZ-style journalist masquerading as a sportswriter. Botchford has falsely reported things before, like the Bo Horvat bridge deal, and he’s made questionable ethical decisions, such as when he made a big deal out of Joe Thornton using the word “cock” off the record. Botchford’s desire to find the next big story or controversy makes his coverage more toxic and negative than most, and it can really take away from the fun of following a team.