A Few Minutes With .... @kevinweekes

Look up the word "gentleman" in the dictionary, and you might just see a photo of New Jersey Devils goaltender Kevin Weekes. No, not really, but meeting the 11-year NHL veteran for the first time today, I was struck by how polite, thoughtful and soft-spoken he is.

Weekes was at the NHL offices on 6th Avenue today to pay a visit to NHL Radio, as well as to visit with fans as part of the League's "Hockey is for Everyone" initiative.

As you may know, Weekes is one of the few NHL players that has recognized the value of Twitter as a meaningful way to create relationships with NHL fans. FromTheBlueSeats was able to chat with the affable Weekes for a couple of minutes about his experience in microblogging so far.

FTBS: How did you get involved with Twitter?

WEEKES: My sister has her own public relations firm in Toronto. She represents clients in fashion and sports. She was the one that first saw the value in getting me involved. She actually signed me up.

FTBS: What do you see as the value in using Twitter for a professional hockey player?

WEEKES: I think it is a great medium, especially during the off-season.

FTBS: That's interesting. Why off-season versus in-season?

WEEKES: Well, during the season fans kind of know what our schedules and life are like as players. We have games, we have practices, we travel. Using Twitter in the off-season lets fans learn more about what I am like as a person. I can talk about my charity, I can give a restaurant review. Whatever. I am letting fans see the human side of me. I think as atheletes, it's extremely important to do that. It disarms people a little bit when we can show that we're just people.

FTBS: Do you hear guys on your team or around the League talking about Twitter?

WEEKES: Definitely hearing about it a little more. My teammate Patrik Elias was one of the first guys to use Twitter and I was able to see him use it. And you see a few other guys around the League coming online.

FTBS: How big do you think Twitter can get among NHL players?

WEEKES: It wouldn't surprise me to see a few hundred players using it. As players, many of us understand that this kind of connection, when used properly, can give the general public real insight as to who we are as people. Even to share the smallest thing about ourselves. It could be as small a restaurant review in Montreal. It allows us to share that stuff and make a connection. We have a small window of time that we are NHL players. We came into this as people and we'll end as people. That's what I think we can share.

FTBS: How have you found your interactions with fans?

WEEKES: I am not always able to respond to all fan messages, but I have found the fans reaching out to me to be very respectiful and very positive about the whole thing.