Ranking the Best Washington Capitals to Follow on Twitter

Twitter is a lot of things. 

It is a source of fact, and it's a source of fiction. 

It can make you laugh, and it can make you cry. 

It is a place to meet old friends, and a place to make new enemies. 

Aside from all that, Twitter is a great way to keep up with your favorite hockey players. 

The Washington Capitals have done their part to build and maintain that reputation. The team as a whole has a visible presence on Twitter, led by owner Ted Leonsis (@TedLeonsis), play-by-play announcer John Walton (@WaltonCaps) and CSN Analyst and former Washington Capitals player Alan May (@MayHockeyCSN). Be sure to follow those Twitter accounts if you want to keep abreast of the team and its activities. 

This particular list will focus on the players. Here now is a ranking of the best Washington Capitals to follow on Twitter, in order of importance. Each of the six entries includes the player's Twitter handle, along with their tweeting tendencies and one notable tweet. Enjoy! 

6. Brooks Laich

Twitter Handle: @brookslaich

The Capitals longest-tenured player may be relatively new to Twitter, as he finally joined earlier this year. But he seems to be getting the hang of it, and he tweets on a consistent basis. 

Plus, Laich tweets on a wide range of topics, including local pro sports teams, the outdoors and his love of both imported gin and vintage automobiles. 

But the biggest reason for following Laich is to get a look inside the man. Laich frequently expresses some personal thoughts, and they tend to be quite positive:  

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I love watching an extremely passionate and talented person do what they love and witnessing how important it is to them. #inspirational

— Brooks Laich (@brookslaich) August 23, 2013"

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Funny—I feel the same way when I watch Brooks Laich play hockey. 

5. Troy Brouwer

Twitter Handle: @tbrouwer20

Troy Brouwer is also relatively new to Twitter. But his account is worth following. 

Brouwer is a thoughtful, caring guy, who often tweets about causes such as autism awareness and his own charity work. He recently participated in Beautification Day in Washington, D.C., with teammate Nicklas Backstrom. 

But Brouwer knows how to have fun, too. He often tweets about golf, including a recent tournament hosted by NHL-great Denis Savard. Brouwer also tweeted about playing tennis with Brian Campbell, his teammate while with the Chicago Blackhawks. He even posted a picture that showed off his bow hunting skills. 

Perhaps the best thing about Brouwer's Twitter account is his observational humor: 

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Saw this guy at the airport and he obviously doesn't have any close friends that can say "NO" pic.twitter.com/lgnVta0dlW

— Troy Brouwer (@tbrouwer20) August 17, 2013"

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 Enough said. 

4. Eric Fehr

Twitter Handle: @EricFehr

Eric Fehr tweets on a regular basis, recently surpassing 1,000 tweets. 

Fehr is a huge baseball fan. Not surprisingly, he is loyal to the Toronto Blue Jays, the only MLB option for a patriotic Canadian baseball fan such as himself. 

He also follows the UFC. Right after UFC 160, Fehr tweeted seeing Junior dos Santos at the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas. 

But Fehr's Twitter appeal is that he uses the marvels of modern technology to fulfill his civic duty: 

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Heads up Winnipeger's driving north on Hwy 59, 2 speed traps before Beausejour turnoff. #Winnipeg #longweekend

— Eric Fehr (@EricFehr) August 3, 2013"

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Good lookin' out, Fehrsie. 

3. Tom Wilson

Twitter Handle: @tom_wilso

Tom Wilson is the new kid on the block, but he definitely has some Twitter chops. It helps that he's 19. He probably received a Twitter account for getting a good report card while still in school. 

Wilson loves to take pictures, which always adds flavor to a Twitter account.

One recent picture he posted is rather unique. It was taken while Wilson was stuck in an elevator with fellow NHL players Anthony Stewart, Devante Smith-Pelly, Dylan Corson and Joseph Cramarossa, while the five of them were participating in a summer tournament in Canada: 

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First time being stuck in an elevator @StuMunrue @smithpelly23 @dylancorson @Cramberry19 pic.twitter.com/CxGhefABgx

— Tom Wilson (@tom_wilso) August 23, 2013"

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Fifty bucks says the elevator stopped because someone started a game of "Molecule." 

2. Mike Green

Twitter Handle: @GreenLife52

What's unique about Mike Green's Twitter account—at least among Capitals players—is that he uses it to promote his own website, MikeGreen52.com. 

Green's website promotes charitable causes, including flood relief for his hometown of Calgary and the Teammates 4 Kids foundation, co-founded by country music singer Garth Brooks. 

Green also maintains a blog at his site, which includes some good pictures and impressive homemade videos. 

The coolest thing about Green's website—and by extension, his Twitter account—is that he uses the site to sell his own self-designed T-shirts. Green requests that anyone who buys a T-shirt take a picture of their new purchase. He then promises to post the picture on his website. 

Or Twitter, of course:  

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Thank you @GreenLife52 for the tshirt! Everyone go check them out at http://t.co/V5Tms7dyf8 #RockTheRed pic.twitter.com/z74MWKAVCX

— meaghan. (@meaghannn_) June 27, 2013"

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1. Alex Ovechkin

Twitter Handle: @Ovi8

Alex Ovechkin's Twitter account is a lot of fun. Following it is a no-brainer. 

The enthusiastic Ovechkin tweets on just about every topic, while setting a new world record for the number of exclamation points used within a 140-character space.

He tweets about his mom, his dogs and his teammates. 

He tweets about his vacations and the filming of his new Nike commercial.  

He even thanked ESPN for his inclusion among the network's greatest "This is SportsCenter" commercials: 

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Nothing like late night filings )))) Sick to be number 5 all time!! Hahahaha Thanks @espn !!!

— Alex Ovechkin (@ovi8) August 2, 2013"

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Pictures of his fiancee Maria Kirilenko also help his Twitter feed stand out.  

All things considered, Ovechkin is one of the best players in the entire NHL to follow on Twitter. 

However, Ovechkin will never claim that title outright as long as Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) of the Phoenix Coyotes is on Twitter. The extroverted enforcer is a Twitter savant who is highly skilled at dispatching the occasional troll. According to Barry Petchesky of Dead Spin, Bissonnette recently responded to one particularly nasty troll by tweeting the man's arrest record. The man summarily deleted his Twitter account. 

Best part of the story? 

That man is a Pittsburgh Penguins fan.