Meet The Blogger – Jeff Chapman

This morning I’ll introduce you to Jeff Chapman, blogger at Copper and Blue. Jeff and I go way back to the days when he was the head editor at OilonWhyte, when I started writing I received a lot of encouragement, tips and suggestions from him. In fact you all sort of have Jeff to blame for the fact that I am still writing.

Let’s get to it;

When did you start writing about hockey? What got you into it?

I wrote the occasional blurb throughout the 2000s, but I really started writing about the Oilers in 2006 during the improbable Cup run. I started up a Blogger.com site and hockey was one of the topics I yammered on about. Soon, it became the only thing I yammered on about.

Are there any writers that you look up to? If so, who are they and why?

There are probably several dozen writers that I look up to. Most are bloggers, but there are a few MSM members in there as well. Some are on the list because of their contributions to the further advancement of analytics, and some are there because they’re just damn good writers. Some are a mix of both. Off the top of my head (seriously, there’s like 40 of them I want to mention) it’d be something like Pat McLean, Derek Zona, Bruce McCurdy, Lowetide, Lisa McRitchie, Ben Massey, Tyler Dellow, Ryan Batty. Gabriel Desjardins, Chris Boutet, Chemmy, and Andrew Desjardins. There are about forty writers I could gush about. They’re all great guys and girls who have (and many continue to) put out original, passionate and thought-provoking content.

If you could give any advice to people interested in getting into writing about sports…what would it be?

Write. Write every day. Write twice a day or more if your schedule allows. Put out content so that people will start to take notice. Write some more. Be nice to people, even ones you think you won’t rely on at one time or another. It’s fine to disagree with someone, but don’t make it personal. Keep writing. Start talking to other bloggers and media types on Twitter Listen to people. Ask questions. Make connections. Write some more. Join forces with other writers, even ones who share different viewpoints than you. Keep writing.

Do you specialize in types of writing (analytical, post/pre game blogs, prospects, opinion pieces…all of the above)?

Right now I do the pregame posts and I throw in an occasional analysis or opinion piece. Usually around the game 50 point of the season, some suffering posts end up leaking out. Those are fun.

Do you have a favorite article that you’ve written or one that got a lot of positive feedback or criticism? Tell me a bit about it.

My favourite articles are the ones I haven’t written yet. If I had to pick one article that I really enjoyed writing, it was this one about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ shoulder surgery at the end of the 2013 NHL season. It really chuffed some folks up.

What sites do you currently write for? Favorite team(s)?

I am very fortunate to write for the Copper and Blue along with a slew of other great writers. We’re all big Oiler fans, and while some of us appear to be angry cranks, we all want this club to turn the corner and make the big dance come April, 2015. Oh, can you imagine the lost work hours that week? A lot of January babies in 2016 if you catch my drift.

Where can we find you on social media? Twitter/Facebook etc

I’m on Twitter a fair bit. Follow me @NewWaveOil where we can talk about the finer things in life, like grilled cheese sandwiches and hockey.

Jeff is on twitter quite a bit and he’s right if you want to talk Oilers or just about anything else he’ll engage. He’s hilarious too, make sure you give him a follow and check out his stuff and the rest at Coppernblue.com

Thanks for reading.