Hockey Night in CanadaAthletes using Twitter a delicate balance

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Last summer, as the NHL held its annual Research & Development camp, I asked one of the prospects what happens behind the scenes.

"It's pretty good," he said. "They have Mike Cammalleri come and talk to us about being an NHL player. They have someone from security tell us to be careful...especially when it comes to taking photos and things like that."

The player laughed.

"Then, they have someone in the social media department tell us to tweet...and not be afraid of that stuff."

That someone is Michael DiLorenzo, the NHL's manager of social media and business communications. His Twitter feed (@NHLdilo) is very interesting; he posts a lot of thoughtful links.

"What we tell (those prospects) is, 'Be yourself and be interesting, but don't be controversial,'" DiLorenzo said on Tuesday morning. "Think twice before you post anything, but stay away from hot-button topics, like politics."

Philosophically, I'm with DiLorenzo. Fans (and media) love these little peeks behind the curtain. Can't get enough of it. But the Raffi Torres Halloween photo is a perfect example of why teams and security people are scared. They know the cold, hard truth. We want this access, but we can't handle all of the consequences.

In case you're unfamiliar with what happened, Paul Bissonnette (@biznasty The Living Embodiment of Twitter Success) sent a photo of Torres and his wife dressed as Jay-Z and Beyonce at the team's Halloween party.

Now, I've got a thick skin. Takes a lot to offend me. But, as a 41-year-old white male, I'm hardly qualified to truly judge whether or not this is offensive. Torres, the victim of prejudice while growing up as a minority in the Toronto area, received plenty of support. Anthony Stewart, Georges Laraque and his own agent, Eustace King, spoke up in his defence.

But there was dissent. And, in the social media age, even minor dissent is a major headache.

Last week, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was forced to apologize for taking photos with porn star Bibi Jones. The photos were hardly risque (Jones certainly has posed in much less) and she steadfastly maintained nothing happened between them.

How many people were offended by this? You can't find many. But the Patriots demanded atonement, even if Gronkowski did it with a smirk. That's where we are now. Teams and leagues are terrified of this stuff, always choosing to play it safe, even if a majority of people aren't angry.

Bissonnette has 160,000 Twitter followers. Let's say, for argument's sake, 75 per cent of them thought there was nothing wrong with Torres' costume. That leaves 40,000 annoyed tweeters, enough to cause a lot of aggravation.

And, in these times where immediate reaction overwhelms thoughtful analysis, Torres is under siege before anyone can ask him some relevant questions, like: "What were you thinking here?" or "Did you ask anyone about this?" Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't. But, no one is waiting to find out.

Most of us relax when we think we can be ourselves around friends. Two years ago, during the Stanley Cup playoffs, the HNIC group went out to dinner. The best things about working on this show comes in those moments. The crew is fantastic, tremendous to be around.

But, it's not for the faint-hearted. We can be merciless to each other. (Whenever PJ is around it's also loud, since he has trouble completing sentences at many different decibel levels.) 

We were walking out after this meal, and one stranger at another table said, "I can't believe what you guys say to each other."

I think about that in moments like this. No one at our table was offended by what was said. But, when you're in a position where the general public can be a part of the conversation, the dynamic completely changes. When you are followed by as many people as Bissonnette is, you are guaranteed to have some level of disagreement.

DiLorenzo, who wouldn't specifically comment about the Halloween photo, isn't worried that this will give the anti-openness crowd greater power.

"I'm not concerned, and part of the reason is that tweets that made me look twice are few and far between," he said. "Our players are so high character, so modest to a fault, that we don't have to deal with so-called 'wide-receiver' issues...(However), it is incumbent on the league and teams to counsel and guide players, just as how we provide guidance on how to face the camera.

"In the first few months of this year, we're seeing a spike in players adoption (of Twitter). Over time, guys are getting better with their own use and seeing how their peers are using it. This is having a positive effect on our social businesses: NHL.com, GameCenter, even online sales at our NHL store."

It's a delicate balance. Whether you think Torres was right or wrong, there is one undeniable fact: none of this happens without Twitter. And, you can't help but ask: Is it worth the aggravation?

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