Oilers very active on Twitter in 2012 By DEREK VAN DIEST, QMI Agency

Edmonton Oilers players have taken to Twitter with a vengeance over the past couple of years, with Taylor Hall, seen here with Jordan Eberle in a tweeted Halloween photo, ranking fifth among NHLers in followers. (Submitted)

EDMONTON - Today’s athlete has become more accessible to fans than ever before, due to social media.

If you don’t like the performance of a certain hockey player, you can use Twitter to voice your displeasure.

Want to wish Taylor Hall luck as he recovers from shoulder surgery? Tweet him.

Want to congratulate Jordan Eberle on a new contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers? Now you can do it directly through social media.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is in Russia for the World Junior Championship, but all it takes is adding his Twitter handle on a 140-character message to get his attention.

One can only imagine what it would have been like growing up watching the Oilers through their glory days and being able to direct a message to Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier or Grant Fuhr.

Furthermore, how cool would it have been like if a player responded to a tweet.

Many of today’s athletes have embraced the Twitter world allowing fans a glimpse into their everyday lives.