Friday has become the day on Twitter when people share the accounts of people that their followers need to follow — #FollowFriday. In honor of this, we asked the Raw Charge staff to offer up one “hockey person” we all need to be following on Twitter.
They’re not the analysts and players and other big-name people you’re probably following already, but people we think are more under the radar. Happy following!
@ShutdownLine
I first stumbled upon Corey Sznajder’s work during last year’s playoffs. I was looking for some in-depth analysis of the Lightning’s performance and Corey’s website The Energy Line featured some of the best recaps of each round.
His “Under the Microscope” series provides a great blend of raw data accompanied by a solid narrative explaining how that data can be interpreted in the actual game. It really helped me better understand why the Bolts were so effective in the first and second rounds of the playoffs — and why they ultimately fell to the Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals. Plus, his Twitter avatar is an ever-changing Pokémon, so that’s fun too. — @Saima_1226
@LexiLaFleur
Come for her connection to the Bolts, stay for everything else. She is Lexi LaFleur Brown, a goalie who’s helping growing the game in the Tampa area, a PhD student and oh yeah, she is the wife of JT Brown. Here’s a sampling of what you can expect in her tweets.
She dispels rumors about JT…
For those wondering, @JTBrown23 is not in a fight with his barber. He’s growing out an afro.
— Lexi LaFleur Brown (@lexilafleur) November 20, 2016
Offers a peek inside married life…
Going through my husband’s suit pockets like, I know where you’ve been. How dare you go to Chipotle without me.
— Lexi LaFleur Brown (@lexilafleur) October 3, 2016
Inside hockey life…
I just Febrezed my hockey gear… no blindfolded person would ever describe that smell as “fresh” and “beachy”. 😷
— Lexi LaFleur Brown (@lexilafleur) May 15, 2016
Is not afraid to take a stand…
Kale is really awful.
— Lexi LaFleur Brown (@lexilafleur) September 13, 2016
In all seriousness, she also speaks the hard truth…
All black men are not criminals. How can we ever rectify what has and what continues to be done to the African American community!?
— Lexi LaFleur Brown (@lexilafleur) July 7, 2016
Women are capable of supporting equality for women while still loving and respecting men. We’re just that progressive. 👍🏼 https://t.co/rWQUzkqDVe
— Lexi LaFleur Brown (@lexilafleur) November 30, 2016
The Orlando shooting is a devastating hate crime. The safety of our LGBT community is vital. Imagine if this happened to you…
— Lexi LaFleur Brown (@lexilafleur) June 12, 2016
And she spreads her love for the Bolts.
Bolts came a long way from the team that (was labeled) “wasn’t trying”, “didn’t care”, and “wasn’t as good as last season”. #TampaProud
— Lexi LaFleur Brown (@lexilafleur) May 27, 2016
@katyaknappe
My Pension Plan Puppets colleague is one of the more underrated people to follow on Twitter, and it’s probably because she does not use the platform for making loud assertions or hot takes. Instead, she quietly gets the real work of writing done, posting fabulous in-depth coverage of European prospects, the minors, and Leafs players.
For example, this article about Frederik Andersen combines a look at his analytics with a look at his actual game play, coming up with a few interesting conclusions. Her work always teaches me something. — Achariya
@BobRbrts
Bob Roberts is absolutely one of my favorite follows on Twitter. He mostly posts Vines of creative plays by highly skilled players in both the NHL and KHL. His unique perspective on the game has taught me a ton about the little things to watch for during games. He does a great job of highlighting not just the pretty goals but also the small plays that lead to dangerous offensive attacks.
And on top of all that, he’s a great guy who is always happy to engage and have a conversation. If you’re not already following him, go do it now. I guarantee he’ll be a welcome addition to your feed. — loserpoints
@RobertsOnTheMic
Joe Roberts is the Director of Public Relations and broadcaster for the Kalamazoo Wings. He’s a good source for news (especially starting lines and goalies) about the team. He also shares some nice photos, something that is extremely lacking for the K-Wings. — Justin G.
@operahockeyguy
Eric Pinder is not only a hockey fan, a Lightning fan at that, but he also writes about the game at puckbuddys.com. Oh no, another hockey writer, right? Well, Eric is also the Director-In-Residence at Opera Orlando and is an accomplished actor who has performed at Disney and Universal in Orlando among other places. He’s also hilarious (sample Tweet: “Even when I was in college and could sit with adults, I always chose the ‘kiddie table’ because the kids would spill parents’ dirty laundry”) and a super nice guy.
So if you want to discuss the effectiveness of the Lightning penalty kill AND Poulene’s “Mamelles de Teresias,” good luck finding someone better suited than Eric Pinder. — Clark Brooks
