MEET DUNCAN KEITH
A NHL All-Star, a 2X Olympic Gold Medalist, a 3X Stanley Cup Champion, a Conn Smythe & 2X Norris Trophy winner, and assistant captain of one of the most notable franchises in sports. Those are some of the highlights of Duncan Keith’s career.
Duncan grew up in Fort Frances, Ontario. As a youngster he idolized NHL stars such as Ray Bourque, Cam Neely and Wayne Gretzky and his favorite team was the Boston Bruins.
At the age of 10 his coaches Gib and Bill Tucker decided to switch Duncan from forward to defense. He switched from forward to defense and has never looked back. After tearing up minor hockey, Duncan took the next step in his career by earning a spot on the Penticton Pantheres (now Penticton Vees) of the British Columbia Hockey League at the young age of 16.
After a stand-out junior career in Penticton, Keith was heavily recruited by various NCAA Division 1 schools finally choosing Michigan State University. Duncan was drafted 54th overall in the second round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft after his first year at Michigan State. Duncan played one more year of college hockey before leaving for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League.
Keith signed with the Chicago Blackhawks prior to the 2003-2004 season and was assigned to the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. Duncan played two years with Norfolk before getting his chance to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing in the NHL.
October 5, 2005 marked Duncan's first career NHL game vs. the Anaheim Ducks. During his sophomore season, Duncan found himself paired with Brent Seabrook on the Blackhawks top defensive unit while leading the team in plus minus and time one ice. That same year, Duncan was selected to his first NHL All Star game.
The 2009 - 2010 season would prove to be a year to remember for Duncan. Keith signed a record 13 year deal with the Blackhawks locking him into the Windy City until 2022. He finished 2nd on the Hawks in points with 69 and added an additional 17 points in the playoffs. Keith is also remembered for taking a puck in the mouth during game four of the Western Conference Finals. He lost 7 teeth on the play, but was back on the ice just a few minutes later. The next round, he helped Chicago win its first Stanley Cup title since 1960 - 1961 season. Additionally, that January, Keith was a major factor in the Canadian Men's Olympic Hockey Team winning gold at the 2010 Olympics. He lead Team Canada in time on ice and finished with six assists.
In the 2010 - 2011 season Duncan ranked second among club defensemen with seven goals, 38 assists and 45 points while being one of two Blackhawks to skate in all 82 regular-season games. Duncan led the NHL for the first time in his career with 26:53 of ice time per game, which was his sixth straight season leading Chicago in that category.
In the summer of 2011 Duncan started “Keith Relief”, whose mission is dedicated to alleviating the financial and emotional burdens of families and individuals suffering from medical crisis.
YOUTH HOCKEY
Duncan grew up Fort Frances, Ontario. As a youngster, he idolized NHL stars such as Ray Bourque, Cam Neely and Wayne Gretzky and his favorite team was the Boston Bruins.
Playing youth hockey in Fort Frances Ontario at the age of 8 Duncan's first team was in the Tom Thumb league playing forward for the Fort Frances Times Tigers. At the age of 9 he tried out for the Pinewood Sports Atom Rep team and made the team again playing forward. In his second year, at 10 years old, his coaches Gib and Bill Tucker decided that Duncan was better suited at defense. He switched from forward to defenceman and has not looked back since. Duncan played his PeeWee years with the Knights of Columbus. At the age of 14, Keith moved to Penticton British Columbia where he finished out his last two years of minor hockey.
COLLEGE AND JUNIOR HOCKEY
In 1999 Duncan took the next step in his hockey career by earning a spot on the Penticton Pantheres (now Penticton Vees) of the British Columbia Hockey League at the young age of 16. Over an illustrious two year career, Keith finished with 78 goals and 148 assists for 226 points in 163 games.
After a stand-out junior career in Penticton, Keith was heavily recruited by various NCAA Division 1 schools finally choosing Michigan State University. As an 18 year old freshman, he played 41 games collecting 3 goals and 12 assists for 15 points. His first collegiate goal was scored in the Cold War - an outdoor game at Spartan Stadium against arch rival the University of Michigan. That summer at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Keith was selected in the 2nd Round, #54 overall to the Chicago Blackhawks. During his second season at Michigan State, he scored 9 points in 15 games before leaving for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. While with the Rockets, Keith netted 46 points over 37 regular season games with a +32 plus-minus rating adding 14 points in 19 games in the post season.
PRO HOCKEY
Keith signed with the Chicago Blackhawks prior to the 2003-2004 season and was assigned to the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. During his first pro season, he scored 25 points in 75 regular season games. During the NHL lockout in 2004-2005, he remained with the Admirals and registered 26 points in 79 games.
October 5, 2005 marked Duncan's first career NHL game vs. the Anaheim Ducks. In his rookie season, he scored 21 points while playing in all 82 regular season contests. That summer, Duncan signed a 4 year contract extension keeping him in Chicago until the 2009-2010 season. During his sophomore season, Duncan found himself paired with Brent Seabrook on the Blackhawks top defensive unit while leading the team in plus minus and TOI. That same year, Duncan was elected to his first NHL All Star game and finished the season with 32 points and a +30 rating. That summer, he represented Team Canada a the World Hockey Championships, earning a silver medal.
In the 2008-2009 season, Keith was named alternate captain along with Patrick Sharp and Captain Jonathan Toews. Keith ranked 2nd in points among Blackhawk defenseman and helped lead the Blackhawks to a postseason appearance.
2009 - 2010 would prove to be a year to remember for Duncan. Keith signed a record 13 year deal with the Blackhawks locking him into the Windy City until 2022. He finished 2nd on the Hawks in points with 69 and added an additional 17 points in the playoffs. That spring, he helped Chicago win its first Stanley Cup title since 1960-61 season by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in 6 games. Additionally, that January, Keith was a major factor in the Canadian Men's Olympic Hockey Team winning gold at the 2010 Olympics in his home Province of British Columbia. He lead Team Canadian in TOI and finished with 6 assists.
2010 - 2011 Duncan ranked second among club defensemen with seven goals, 38 assists and 45 points while being one of two Blackhawks to skate in all 82 regular-season games. Led the NHL for the first time in his career with 26:53 of ice time per game, which was his sixth straight season leading Chicago in that category.
Duncan has won the Stanley Cup three times, along with two Olympic Gold Medals, two Norris Trophies, and the Conn Smythe Trophy. Keith was recently listed by NHL as one of the 100 Greatest Players of All Time.
