David Perron (Photo: Jeff Roberson/AP)

We kicked off a social media series last week with the best tweeters from the Carolina Hurricanes. Today we hit the Western Conference and rank the St. Louis Blues. Here’s a refresher on the criteria:

• The player must be listed on the official team website as having a Twitter account
• The player must have seen ice time (NHL or the AHL affiliate) in the 2013 season
• Judging Criteria: number of followers accounts for 40%, number of tweets accounts for 60%

Overall, the Twitter action of the Blues completely deflates the storm of the Hurricanes. This made us wonder how all the teams would look measured side-by-side. Perhaps we’ll save a NHL team social media scorecard for the finale.

Anyways, here are the best (and worst) Blues’ tweeters (statistics are based on March 23^rd numbers)…

#12…Jake Allen

#11…Vladimir Tarasenko

#10…Patrik Berglund

#9…Ian Cole

#8…Andy McDonald

#7…Brian Elliott

#6…David Backes

#5…Alexander Steen

#4…Chris Stewart

#3…Kevin Shattenkirk

#2…T.J. Oshie

And the golden Twitter award goes to…

#1…David Perron (73,477 followers and 4,017 tweets)

So far our top 140 character NHL authors are Tim Brent and David Perron. Interesting.

What team would you like to see ranked next? Let us know in the comment section and don’t forget to check out our comfy and affordable hockey life apparel threads here.

1. Number of followers
2. Number of tweets

A player may have a Twitter account with a ton of followers, but rarely tweets. Therefore, we weighted the criteria. The number of tweets counts for 60%, while the number of followers accounts for 40%. For a player to qualify they have to be listed on the official team website as having an account and they must have seen ice time (NHL or the AHL affiliate) in the 2013 season.

First up is our home team, the Carolina Hurricanes. These statistics are based on March 23, 2013 numbers.

#17…Luke Pither

#16…Joe Sova

#15…Chris Terry

#14…Riley Nash

#13…Jiri Tlusty

#12…John Muse

#11…Michal Jordan

#10…Brody Sutter

#9…Bobby Saguinetti

#8…Patrick Dwyer

#7…Zac Dalpe (We were tempted to give bonus points to the Buckeye, but trying to play fair here.)

#6…Justin Faulk

Photo via Carolina Hurricanes

#5…Jamie McBain

#4…Ryan Murphy

#3…Kevin Westgarth

#2…Zach Boychuk (Note: Boychuk isn’t listed on the official website, but he just cleared waivers)

And the Best Twitter Award for the Carolina Hurricanes goes to….

#1…Tim Brent

Do you agree? Disagree? Who is your favorite player on Twitter? What team would you like us to score next? Let us know in the comment section.

And don’t forget to check out our latest hockey threads at outeredgethreads.com.

Mustache Sally, $22

The mustache is everywhere you look these days, but we believe the mo belongs to hockey. Whether she’s standing alone during Movember or accompanying a playoff beard, facial hair is sports never looked so good.

Mustache Sally is riding on a super soft, unisex American Apparel shirt.

Unisex Life of the Edge, $20

The sound, feel, and sight of a blade edge cutting into the ice is sensory bliss. Whether you are a hockey coach, fan, player or anything in between, you live the game.

Life on the Edge is our understated design to honor that lifestyle. Screen printed on a trendy, unisex District Threads shirt for an affordable $20 price tag.

Joe Warner of 89 Ideas crafted two stellar OET designs to please the masses.

You can snag one version on a crazy soft, unisex American Apparel tee or ladies can sport a design on survivor pink or a fashion fit, slate gray tee by District Threads.

Ladies Lockout Survivor Threads, $20

Lockout Survivor design available on two different tees, $22

So it’s no surprised I hunted her down for an OET interview. If you already follow Hockey Broad, then I know you will really enjoy this interview. If you are not following her work and tweets, then you will crazy enjoy this interview and have a new, fabulous hockey writer to follow. You’re welcome.

OET: For those unfortunate souls who are not familiar with you, give us a little bio.

HB: I’m Cheryl Adams, a hockey writer and photographer. (Neither of these are my primary job, but I wouldn’t mind if they were!) I run my own site, HockeyBroad.com, and I also am the lead Blackhawks writer for TheCheckingLine.com. I live in Chicago, so naturally I follow the Blackhawks, but I love hockey in general, so my rooting interests are spread out across the country.

OET: When did you first fall in love with the sport of hockey?

HB: I was a kid for the 1980s “Miracle on Ice”. Back then, when the Olympics rolled around – remember, they were only every 4 years then, not alternating spring and winter Olympics every 2 years – watching them was an event. All the other TV stations would run repeats because they knew everybody was watching the Olympics, and as kids, we’d get to stay up past our usual bedtimes to watch. I remember watching the US-Russian game and it was just huge for our country, not just as a sports event, but a political event. It was the kind of thing that even as a kid, you understood it was something big. Anyway, I first got interested in the sport from that, but nobody else in my family was too interested in hockey then. Meeting Kevin Dineen my freshman year in high school, when I was on a school trip to Europe, sort of cemented to me how awesome hockey players were, and I’ve followed the sport ever since.

OET: Do you play as well?

HB: I wish! Right now I’m something awful on skates, but I’m working on getting more in shape, and I want to take skating and hockey lessons once my budget allows. There’s a lot of good “learn to skate/learn hockey” programs around Chicago.

Bobby Goepfert (Photo by Hockey Broad)

OET: Who is your favorite person to follow on Twitter?

HB: Bobby Goepfert (@geffman47). He’s a funny guy, and a goalie.

OET: You seem to have a love for goalies. Who is your favorite tendy and who wears the best mask art in your opinion?

HB: I have a really hard time picking between Pekka Rinne, Antti Niemi, and Jonathan Quick. Two Finns and a guy from my home state of Connecticut, although that’s not why I like them. They all have their own style. Rinne is just a big guy who is amazingly athletic in the net, like some kind of Cirque du Soleil acrobat. Niemi of course helped bring the Blackhawks the Cup. Sometimes you look him in the net – even with some of the changes he’s made since going to the Sharks – and you think he seems too hunched over or even awkward, but he really keeps his teams in the games. And Quick – until the Kings won the Cup – was kind of overlooked out there on the West, quietly having several nice seasons behind a good team.

My favorite mask right this year is Jonathan Quick’s (by Steve Nash/Eyecandy Air). He’s had the same knight’s helm design for a couple seasons, but it’s great in its simplicity and its tie-in to the team. The really cool personalized masks are a lot of fun, but when thinking about which masks I like best, I’ve figured out that I tend to favor masks that celebrate what the team and its city are about. I like Steve Nash’s work in general; he sticks to clean, bold designs that really “pop”. I also really love David Gunnarsson/Art of Dave; he really has some cool pieces he’s done. As much as I enjoy his detailed work, it’s some of his seemingly simpler masks this season, like Ben Scrivens and Devin Dubnyk’s that have really caught my eye this year. They seem like more basic designs from far away, but you get up close and see all kinds of cool details.

My favorite mask of the current era is Antti Niemi’s hawk mask from the 2009-2010 season, painted by David Arrigo. I just thought it had great execution and design details, and the hawk integration gave kind of a nice nod back towards Ed Belfour’s eagle masks. Bobby Goepfert’s mask when he was with the Everblades in 2010-11, done by Todd Miska, was another really beautiful piece, might be tied for my favorite with Niemi’s. Pekka Rinne had a lovely mask a couple seasons ago, a salute to Nashville honky-tonk (done by Gunnarsson), which was a departure from his “constrained predator” designs but which was really a handsome mask. The Jets goalies have had some really cool masks; Ray Bishop of Bishop Custom Designs did a pretty sweet one for Al Montoya this season.

There’s a lot of really fantastic old-school mask designs, like Gerry Cheevers’ “stitches” one. But today’s goalie’s have so much more “canvas” to work with that it’s hard to put modern goalie masks into the same category as the old-school face plates.

OET: Who has been your favorite player interview?

HB: I haven’t done too many yet myself, but I enjoyed interviewing Bobby Goepfert. I like to talk to goalies. They usually don’t get the same amount of attention that the skaters do unless they’re either A) having some sort of amazing season or B) are stinking up the net.

If I had the opportunity, I would love to sit down and have a chat with either Daniel Carcillo, Roberto Luongo, or George Parros.

OET: What were your feelings during the lockout and how do you think fans have welcomed back the NHL?

HB: Like a lot of fans, I felt annoyed – but it was more at the league than the players. Anybody who works for a living can appreciate the need to get paid what you’re worth, even if most of us can’t relate to the salaries that these guys get. Many would say that the reason the league/owners didn’t let the season go on as normal was that it would give them less leverage, which may or may not be true. There’s hockey fans that will never return to the NHL because it just feels like, as a fan, you’re getting your heart broken every time a new CBA rolls around. Overall, though, I think hockey fans were just dying to get their hockey back, and the majority of threats to reject the league were threats, and nothing more.

As somebody who’s worked in advertising and marketing, I’d be interested to see the sales figures for shop.nhl.com, because I think most fans did the only thing they could do to “boycott” the league, and that was by not spending any money on hockey gear til the season came back. But between Christmas, the timing of the NHL’s return in January, and “fan appreciation” incentives, I’m sure there was a huge spike of merchandise sales in January.

I regularly follow ECHL, AHL, and NHL teams, so I was glad to see those leagues get some extra love and attention for at least the duration of the lockout. I hope some of the people who turned to those leagues during the lockout continue to support those teams. Personally, I’d love to see a secondary hockey TV station that focuses on the ECHL and AHL – that probably won’t happen. But at the very least, I think the NHL Network should have a show at least twice per week where they look at what’s happening over in those two leagues. After all, the ECHL and AHL both feed into NHL team systems; it’s good to have a look at the “players of the future”, and would help increase interest in those teams. The NHL Network has plenty of room on their schedule to add some original content for more in-depth hockey coverage.

The one thing that irritated me after the lockout ended was the statement of “hockey is back”. Hockey never left. It should have said “NHLhockey is back”.

Jonathan Quick (Photo by Hockey Broad)

OET: I know you’re a Blackhawks fan, who is your favorite player and how are you enjoying their short season?

HB: I’m loving it! Although with a 17-0-3 record (and counting), that really shouldn’t be a surprise. The best part of the season so far has been feeling like this is a totally different team than the past two years. It’s not that the players are different; it’s that all the things that went wrong or were bad habits in those two seasons seem to have been eliminated. The 2013 Blackhawks never seem to feel they’re out of a game; they battle back from deficits. There’s no cherry-picking on the blue line, fishing for breakaway passes. The defense looks SO much better. I do occasionally think that the passing could use some work – it’s not always crisp, and they still occasionally pass to players that haven’t caught up yet – so turnovers happen. And their PIM are up this year – but thankfully, the PK has been clicking along much better than last year.

My favorite player on the Hawks is Duncan Keith. He’s been around the team the longest. But he’s such a workhorse; his work ethic is amazing. He logs huge minutes, he’s not afraid to stick up for teammates, and who can forget the 2010 playoffs when he took a puck to the face and lost 7 teeth and was back out there the next period. Maybe he doesn’t seem to have the extrovert personality like a Kane or Sharp, but he brings a lot to the team, and has always been a solid, consistent guy on the blue line.

OET: What is your prediction for Chicago and the Western Conference?

HB: At the rate they’re going, Chicago’s going to sit atop the pile. But things like the President’s Trophy, while nice, aren’t the end goal. My only prediction for Chicago is that they’re not satisfied with the past two seasons, and they want to obliterate any lingering memories of first-round washouts. Elsewhere in the WC, I think we’re going to see the usual down-to-the-wire bubble jockeying. I do think either the Predators or the Red Wings might miss the playoffs for the first time in years if Minnesota or the Oilers go on a tear, or if the Stars can hold on to that 8th spot. The playoffs in the West are going to be even more exciting than usual this year.

OET: Where can we find your work and follow you on Twitter?

HB:HockeyBroad.com, @HockeyBroad; you can find me on Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as “HockeyBroad”, Pinterest as “HockeyBroadcom”. You can also find me over at TheCheckingLine.com; I’m under “featured writers” (Cheryl Adams) and of course under the TCL Blackhawks posts!

Thanks so much for the interview and hockey insight Cheryl!

I worked for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and I did my job. I showed up at UNC and Duke Hospital three times a week to be an advocate for families dealing with various forms of neuromuscular diseases. I provided smiles, motivation, and resources when needed. I did my job.

Cameron Williams turned out to be much more than a job. He was more than a boy fighting Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). He was more than a 15-year-old in a wheelchair. He was more than a student and hockey player. He was more than a smile itching to be captured by the finest artist. He was a son, brother, nephew, grandson, and friend. Most importantly, he would be an angel for families fighting DMD.

I admit with an embarrassing shame that I didn’t realize this while I was doing “my job.” Please don’t misunderstand, my face lit up every time I realized Cameron and his family would be coming to the UNC Clinic or participating in the annual MDA walk-a-thon. I just didn’t realize this shy, but sweet boy, would forever leave an imprint on my heart.

Cam and I got along instantly. He was a Caniac. He was a fan of Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner, and the whole team. He also played on a power wheelchair hockey on a team, the Carolina Fury, sponsored in part by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Cameron lost his fight with DMD in October of 2011. At the funeral, Cam’s service dog, Star, laid beneath his casket while Jeff Skinner’s All-Star jersey was draped across the top. The Williams’ Family was so strong and sturdy as they accepted countless condolences.

In just a couple months leading up to the annual MDA walk-a-thon I was honored with being the captain of Team Cameron’s Crusaders. The family team had a long tradition of raising thousands of funds for DMD research. As Cameron walked with us from Heaven, we raised over $7,000 in 2012 in his honor.

I was humbled and shocked again this year to be asked by the Williams’ Family to act their team captain to help them walk and raise more research funds in Cam’s name. Honestly, knowing their family, I feel I don’t deserve the honor. However, I am determined to support this family and to make Cam proud.

Please help me in showing support of this courageous family. Despite their grief and heartache, they wish to continue walking for Cameron although he is no longer with us…or at least in the physical sense as I have no doubt he will be leading the MDA Muscle Walk as he did in so many years in the past.

Feel your own pride in donating to Cameron’s Crusaders here. Thank you in advance for your support. Also, please consider sharing this link with your friends and on your social media:

http://www2.mda.org/site/TR?team_id=16273&fr_id=4125&pg=team

I wanted to get the 411 on the BHL, so I reached out to Katie Alexander. Miss Katie minds the net and social media for the league.

OET: First and foremost, thanks for the interview! Tell us a little about yourself… where are you from, and how did you got involved in the BHL?

KA: No problem. I’m from Murrieta, California. It’s actually a funny story about how I got involved. My friend saw they were looking for girls on Yahoo! for this new show, Bikini Hockey League, and told me to send in my photos. I kinda laughed it off because I have never played hockey, just loved the sport. And at that time, I had the hots for a certain player on the LA Kings so she told me if I wanted him to know who I was, I needed to be on the show. So I sent in photos and went through all the interviews and was chosen.

OET: Well, I have to ask…who was the player?

KA: It WAS Kyle Clifford, but I’ve moved on to better things like Mike Richards. Haha. Plus, Mike Richards comes with Jeff Carter. It’s like a two for one special with that bromance.

OET: Nothing wrong with a good bromance. So, you are a Kings’ fan?

KA: Oh yes! I am a diehard fan. I have the Kings’ crown tattooed on me, and I plan on getting the other two crowns as well.

OET: Nice. What position do you play?

I started at left wing as an enforcer, but found myself more of a Jonathan Quick. You’ll see me in net. I am the only girl in the league without the experience, but I’ve played sports all my life so I’d say I’m athletic and picked it up easy.

KA: What has been the best thing about playing for the BHL?

Oh, I could go on and on, but aside from all the doors this league has opened for my career, all the events I’ve been able to attend, but the best thing I’d have to say is having the opportunity to play the sport I love with amazing girls. They’re so talented! It’s unreal. You watch us, and it’s like you forget we’re in bikinis. We play just as hard as the boys. It’s intense.

OET: Along with the good comes the bad, what has been the most difficult part of playing for the BHL?

KA: With me being the underdog in the league, not having the experience the other girls have, I feel it’s more of a challenge. I am a very competitive person, and strive to be the best, but right now there’s 11 other girls on my team that depend on me in net to keep that game a shutout.

OET: Goalies are known for being eccentric, do you find yourself fitting that description? Any weird ticks or habits?

KA: Haha. Well, I don’t really have ticks or habits, but I’m definitely the comic relief of the league and I am the queen of chirping. I get in girl’s heads. I say things that throw them off and get them off their game.

OET: So, tell us a bit about the BHL. How many teams are there and how many games have you played? How can people tune in?

KA: So far there are two teams. Team pink and team gold. We played in Oklahoma to film the teaser reel, and now were just working on making connections to get this league playing in front of thousands at arenas in different states

OET: How do you deal with those who criticize you and the plays for participating in a sexy sport like the BHL?

KA: You know, good or bad publicity, it’s still publicity, I’ll take it. Coming into this, we knew we would hear one of two things. You either love us or you hate us, but what I can promise you, is when you see us play, you’ll eat your words. The talent these girls have is unbelievable.

OET: I must admit I was skeptical when I heard of the league, but I was impressed with the first video.

KA: That video doesn’t do us justice. We will be playing ice for future games because that’s what all the girls have played all their lives. The inline was for the teaser.

OET: Who is the future MVP of the league?

KA: You know, I can’t choose just one. I mean we have Erin Honto, the BHL bad girl from New York. She was selected for the top 50 in the US for the Lake Placid Junior Olympics. Then there’s Sophia Goulet, she was named 2011 Athlete of the Year and is beyond talented on the ice. Such a beauty. We also have Jessica frump, who played for Syracuse, and she is just a gem. That girl’s slapshot is brutal. I could go on and on about our girls but that would just take forever. Y’all are just gonna have to see for yourselves!

OET: Since you gals wear less equipment than typical hockey players, are you nervous for or have there been any equipment…er, malfunctions?

KA: Trust me we can take a hit. We have pads, and Bauer hooked us up with awesome gear. There may be a “malfunction” here and there if you know what I mean, but in the heat of the game, we don’t care. We’re tough girls, and taking a hit, or puck to the boob isn’t a big deal. Haha!

OET: Haha! That’s the first time someone has said “puck to the boob isn’t a big deal” to me in an interview. Love it! On a more serious note, what charity do you support?

KA: I donate $25 a month to the humane society, but if I could help children with special needs and volunteer to play sports with them, I’d be in heaven. That’s my calling. Love to see the smile on those kids faces!

OET: I agree! Thanks again Katie and good luck this season.

Keep up with Katie and the girls by following her on Twitter and the league on Facebook. In the meantime, here is the teaser video…

The answer is a resounding “No,” as made evident in a New York Rangers guest article by Mirna Mandil titled, A Girls Guide to Watching the Rangers. After a definite lapse in judgment, the Rangers pulled the article. Puck Daddy posted screen shots of the article here.

Since my New Year’s Resolution is to be more positive, allow me to start with the good.

Stares at laptop for 53 minutes.

Oh, here’s one…the author tells dimwitted females to not be afraid to ask questions. This is a good point, but I’ll let Miss Mandil in on a little secret…you can ask questions to fellow women too. Oh! Shocking! Sweet heavens to Betsy, there may be a female in your vicinity that actually laces up herself! 

You want a Girl’s Guide to Watching Hockey? Here’s your Girl’s Guide to Watching Hockey. And since gals are so stupid, here it is four easy steps…

1. Watch hockey with friends (of both genders…or transgender. I don’t want to leave anyone out here), because you have a genuine interest in expanding your knowledge in the amazing world of sports.

2. Ask questions, preferably during intermission and after the game.

3. Repeat cycle a few times.

4. Decide to be a hockey fan (or not) based on your experience, not whether your ability to fake enthusiasm makes you cool with the dudes.

Now, allow me to adjust my petticoats as I attempt to join the year 2013.