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Be ready. When the National Hockey League releases its 2021-2022 schedule, somewhere in there, there will be a date to circle, highlight, remember.
When the Edmonton Oilers skate on the United Center ice rink, a future Hall of Fame member will earn a standing ovation only, likely during pre-game practice.
Duncan Keith merit, because no one has done their job better with the Blackhawks, ever. This Original Six franchise is approaching its 100th anniversary. Hundreds of individuals have come and gone, some for a cameo, others for an extended period. But none have done the jersey as thoroughly as Keith, who has treated every defensive shift as if it was both his first and his last.
Keith was, and will remain with the Oilers, the hockey player of choice. Talented, dedicated, intelligent, creative, loyal, reliable, tireless, selfless and – to steal Stan Mikita’s description of Bobby Hull – harder than a night in jail. There was nothing Keith didn’t do for the Blackhawks except take an evening off. He left everything on a frozen pond, including his teeth.
“I had to work hard,” Keith said. “I heard things along the way, when I was a kid. I was too small. ‘How is he going to survive?’ And once you get into the NHL, it’s about staying in the NHL. Once you walk in the door, that didn’t mean I could catch my breath. Nothing beats hard work.
Keith barged in on October 5, 2005, when the Blackhawks were shattered, plunged into the abyss of insignificance. Chicago commuters wondered why these sweet young men in hockey jerseys hung out at stations when they never got on a train? Well, they were giving away free tickets to the games. Please take a couple. Or maybe six?
Keith was staying with a rookie colleague Brent Seabrook. Keith, possibly the least organized member of this odd couple, would spill his protein shakes on the carpet. Meanwhile, the picky Seabrook was marching towards a battalion of alarm clocks calibrated in such a way that he couldn’t be late for anything that day, or the next.
A decade later, they were still inseparable, anchoring a blue line for the most dominant stretch in Blackhawks history. Three Stanley Cup rings for each in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Keith leaves second behind Mikita with 1,192 games with the Blackhawks, not counting 135 in the playoffs, also behind Mikita only. Seabrook recently retired after 1,114 regular season games, third on the team’s all-time roster. That’s a lot of protein shakes and a lot of awakenings.
“Every day I wake up thinking about the best I can do,” Keith offered. “I am given the right vegetables and fruits to nourish my body, which is my temple.”
Video: Thanks, Duncan Keith
This diet, this work ethic has served him well. At almost 38, Keith admits to being obsessed with conditioning. It registers monster minutes while playing solid defense, as well as generating the rush. In celebration of the centennial of the NHL in 2017, Keith was named one of the top 100 players in history, an honor also bestowed on his teammates Jonathan toews and Patrick kane. Keith was humiliated, after allaying his suspicions.
“I thought it was a prank,” Keith recalls. “I received this phone call one day. A message from Gary Bettman, the NHL Commissioner. Maybe one of our guys is trying to get me something. Maybe a fan who got my number.
Voters knew his numbers. For 16 seasons, Keith brought a professional presence and a sense of opportunity to the Blackhawks. One of his most important goals came in Game 6 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at United Center. Keith converted his own rebound against Ben Bishop to create a 1-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Blackhawks triumphed, 2-0, in the only game that was not separated by a goal to win their third Cup in six years and the first at home since 1938.
Typically, only goaltenders and officials have spent more time on the ice this series, and even without pocketing the winner, Keith would likely have earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. He added this memory to two Norris trophies for best defenseman in the NHL in 2010 and 2014. Only three other Blackhawks – Pierre Pilote, Doug Wilson and Chris Chelios – were so honored. Last but not least for Keith, he was twice a Team Canada mainstay to gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
Recently, with his hair growing out with his heritage, Keith appeared to resemble George Carlin, the legendary comic / philosopher known for his original quotes such as “There are only three different types of people … those who can count and those who can “t.” Keith was all about that sort of dry fantasy. He could make everyone around him laugh while still keeping a straight face. During an exchange, Keith said that Seabrook had some ” idiosyncrasies. ”When asked to delineate his own, Keith replied with a blank stare,“ I don’t know… what is idiosyncrasy? ”
Keith fervently believes that “a hungry wolf hunts better.” Well he’s still chasing another Stanley Cup and this cyborg still has plenty of miles on his skates. But he will do it with the Oilers. He resides in British Columbia and gave up his no-trade clause to spend more precious time with his 8-year-old son Colton, who may well be a piece of the old bloc. “He can be awkward,” said Dad, quite proudly.
Duncan embraced Chicago and the Blackhawks. He was a bastion of stability in the locker room and a donor to the community with efforts such as Keith Relief, a fund to help those with health problems. He may have ended his career in the comfort of his adopted second home, but Colton comes first. That’s what a father does, even if he’s not a great hockey player.
So circle that date, and if you’re a little late for the warm-up because of the traffic, rest assured Duncan Keith will be there to play more big minutes when it counts. This hungry wolf works for Edmonton now, but no one has hunted better for the Blackhawks than him.
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