Plekanec: Thumbs up to social media

MONTREAL - With the help of a special mentor, Tomas Plekanec has certainly stepped up his social media game in recent months.

That mentor just happens to be his girlfriend - former WTA star Lucie Safarova - who boasts quite the online presence of her own with 119,000 followers on

and another 198,000 followers on
Instagram
.
While Plekanec has some catching up to do in the follower department on both fronts, he wholeheartedly appreciates the guidance and encouragement Safarova has provided thus far.
"Lucie taught me that a little bit. She's a social media master," explained Plekanec, who is in the Czech Republic preparing for the 2019-20 season with HC Kometa Brno. "She's good with Instagram and stuff like that, and she knows a little bit more than I do in terms of social media. That's one of the reasons why I'm more active than before."
Plekanec definitely made his presence felt on Twitter by joining a variety of conversations with former Canadiens teammates and posting some rather comical replies to tweets along the way, too.
His latest reply to a post on the Canadiens' account on Wednesday, August 7 was absolutely perfect.

He also enjoys chiming in on those epic soccer chats we've been seeing throughout the summer between Artturi Lehkonen, Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Tatar.

"Playing with a lot of these guys for so many years, it's nice to stay in touch. Obviously it's very funny when you see a guy like Gally talking about soccer. It's kind of a must to get back at his tweets and make fun of it," joked Plekanec, who has also kept in contact with Carey Price and members of the Canadiens' training and equipment staff as well since retiring from the NHL ranks last fall.
One recent Twitter exchange Plekanec thoroughly enjoyed was going back and forth with Lehkonen on Twitter about a potential head-to-head tennis matchup.
The pair never had the opportunity to square off in Montreal, which the young Finn regretted.
Tweet from @arsilehkonen: Just pick a date! I will be there🎾🥇
"That one was funny. We wanted to play a couple of times, but never had a chance," said Plekanec. "Now, he kind of wants his lesson. I hope it's going to come one day."
Plekanec has also used his Twitter account to congratulate a few of his good buddies on their accomplishments.

"It's nice to see them succeed like that. Those are big numbers. I know from experience, playing in the NHL for so long. For Tuna, he will keep playing there and the games will add up," praised Plekanec. "Obviously Carey, it speaks for itself. He's going to be a legend in Montreal and to reach that number is something special. I'm happy to see that and support him and congratulate him like that."
We also have to give Plekanec a shout out for this memorable tweet shortly after the 2019 NHL Draft.

That post, in particular, must've brought back memories aplenty for his fans who will always celebrate his unique turtleneck.
Thank you, Montreal!
Speaking of his fans, Plekanec enjoys hearing from them on social media.
"It's nice to see, of course, that fans remember you being with the Canadiens," mentioned Plekanec, who played 984 of his 1,001 career NHL games in a Habs uniform. "It was great times and I really appreciate that they're still watching and following my career."
The Kladno native especially adored the response from his supporters on Instagram when he revealed on July 4 that Safarova was expecting a baby.
The outpouring of love meant the world to both of them.

"It was great. Of course it's a special time for us," said Plekanec. "We appreciate that every single fan reaction for us was positive and happy."
We're looking forward to more of your posts, Pleky, featuring your signature #PlekySmile!