Duncan Keith (born July 16, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who spent most of his playing career with the Chicago Blackhawks and one year with the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). In 2017 he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" by The Hockey News.
He is known as a two-way defenceman, capable in both shutdown and offensive roles.
Following his freshman year with Michigan State University, Duncan was selected 54th overall by Chicago in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
After splitting the next year between Michigan State and the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL), he spent two seasons with the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL).
In 2005–06, Duncan played his NHL rookie season with the Blackhawks. Four years later, he won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's best defenceman and helped the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup.
He won a second and third Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015, respectively. He also received the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2015 by a unanimous vote.
Internationally, he represented Canada on three occasions, winning a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Playing Career[]
Junior and college hockey[]
From 1999-00 to 2000-01, Duncan played three years for the Penticton Panthers scoring 78 goals and 148 assists for 226 points in 163 games.
He was recruited by Michigan State University and played college hockey there for two years with the Michigan State Spartans of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).
Duncan scored a goal in his Spartans debut in the Cold War, an outdoor game at the Spartan Stadium against the state-rival University of Michigan Wolverines on October 6, 2001, that set a record for attendance at a hockey game.
He completed his freshman year with three goals and 15 points in 41 games, ranked fourth among team defencemen behind John-Michael Liles, Brad Fast and Andrew Hutchinson.
During Duncan's second college season, he left the Spartans after 15 games to join the major junior hockey ranks.
He returned to British Columbia to play for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and amassed 46 points (11 goals and 35 assists) over 37 regular season games with a +32 in his single season there. He also added 14 points in 19 post-season games.
Chicago Blackhawks[]
Duncan was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round (54th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
He signed with Chicago prior to the 2003–04 season and spent his first two seasons after junior in the American Hockey League (AHL) with team affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals.
He recorded 7 goals and 25 points over 75 games in his professional rookie season in 2003–04.
Duncan's chances of earning a spot with the Blackhawks the following season were eliminated due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout. Remaining with the Admirals, he continued his pace with 26 points in 79 games.
Following two seasons in the AHL, Duncan made the Blackhawks squad out of the 2005 training camp.
On October 5, 2005, he played in his first NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks. Duncan made an immediate impact on the club, scoring nine goals and 25 points while averaging over 23 minutes of ice time in 81 games during his NHL rookie season.
The Blackhawks re-signed him in the off-season to a four-year contract extension.
In the 2006-07 NHL season, Duncan played in all 82 games for the Blackhawks and once again led the team in average ice time at 23 minutes. He had two goals and 31 points while leading the team in blocked shots with 148.
For the 2007–08 NHL season, Duncan saw even more ice time as injuries wracked the Blackhawks' defensive corps. By mid-January, he was averaging 24:31 minutes of ice time and had a team leading plus-minus of +14.
Duncan was rewarded for this effort by a selection to his first NHL All-Star Game in 2008. He went on to finish the season with 12 goals and 32 points along with a +30 plus-minus rating, despite being on a non-playoff team.
On October 8, 2008, Duncan was named an alternate captain along with forward Patrick Sharp to the start the 2008–09 NHL season.
He helped a rejuvenated Blackhawks team (led by second-year forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane) back into the playoffs, recording eight goals and 44 points, second among team defencemen to Brian Campbell.
Duncan added six points in 17 post-season games as the Blackhawks advanced to the Western Conference Finals where they were eliminated by Central Division rivals the Detroit Red Wings.
With Duncan having established himself with Brent Seabrook as one of the top shutdown pairings in the league, he made significant offensive improvement in 2009–10.
On December 3, 2009, the Blackhawks announced having extended Duncan's contract simultaneously with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
At $72 million over 13 years, Duncan's contract was the most lucrative in team history, surpassing Marian Hossa's twelve-year, $62.8 million contract signed several months prior in July of 2009.
Duncan completed the season with 14 goals and 69 points, ranked second among league defencemen behind Mike Green of the Washington Capitals. It was also the highest total for a Blackhawks defenceman since Chris Chelios' 72-point season in the 1995-96 NHL season.
Duncan's 26:35 minutes of average ice time was the second highest in the league.
Entering the 2010 playoffs as the second seed in the Western Conference, the Blackhawks eliminated the Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks in the first three rounds.
During Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Sharks, Duncan had seven teeth knocked out by a puck. He returned minutes after the incident to help the Blackhawks complete a four-game sweep of the Sharks and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992.
Matched against the Philadelphia Flyers, they won the Stanley Cup in six games. He finished the post-season with 17 points (2 goals and 15 assists) over 22 contests.
Nominated for the James Norris Memorial Trophy for his regular season performance, Duncan outvoted Green and Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings to earn the award as the league's best defenceman in the off-season.
As a result of several Blackhawks players (including Duncan) entering the first year of lucrative contracts in the 2010–11 NHL season, the team was forced to deal away several components of their Stanley Cup winning team to fit under the salary cap.
With a diminished roster, Chicago qualified for the playoffs by two points as the eighth and final seed in the West. Duncan's production decreased to 7 goals and 45 points over 82 games.
Facing the Canucks in the first round, the Blackhawks were eliminated in seven games. He recorded 4 goals and 2 assists during the series.
On March 23, 2012, Duncan was suspended five games for delivering an elbow to the head of Canuck forward Daniel Sedin. The head of the Department of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan observed that the hit was "dangerous, reckless, and caused injury" in his video release.
On June 4, 2013, Keith received a one-game suspension for high sticking Los Angeles Kings' Jeff Carter during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
In his absence for Game 4, coach Joel Quenneville inserted Sheldon Brookbank. Brent Seabrook wore the alternate captain logo for the game in his absence. The Blackhawks ended up winning that game 3-2 to take a 3-1 series lead.
In the following season, Duncan tallied six goals, 55 assists, while maintaining a +22 plus-minus rating over 79 games. He was selected as a member of the 2014 Canadian men's hockey team and won a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
He recorded four goals and seven assists in the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, but lost to Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Finals, the eventual champions.
After the season's conclusion, Duncan was awarded his second Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman.
On June 15, 2015, Duncan won his third Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks. For his role in the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, Keith received the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the playoffs and also scored the Cup winning goal on Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop.
Duncan is the first player to score the Cup-winning goal and win the Conn Smythe Trophy in the same year since Henrik Zetterberg achieved the feat in 2008.
Awards & Achievements[]
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| 3x NHL All-Star | 2008, 2011, 2015 |
| 2x NHL First All-Star Team | 2010, 2014 |
| 2x James Norris Memorial Trophy | 2010, 2014 |
| 1x Conn Smythe Trophy | 2015 |
| 3x Stanley Cup Champion (with the Chicago Blackhawks) | 2010, 2013, 2015 |
| 2x Olympic gold medal (with Canada) | 2010, 2014 |
Career Statistics[]
Regular season and playoffs[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1999–00 | Penticton Panthers | BCHL | 59 | 9 | 27 | 36 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Penticton Panthers | BCHL | 60 | 18 | 64 | 82 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Michigan State University | CCHA | 41 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Michigan State University | CCHA | 15 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 37 | 11 | 35 | 46 | 60 | 19 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 12 | ||
| 2003–04 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 75 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 44 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2004–05 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 79 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 78 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | ||
| 2005–06 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 81 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 79 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 82 | 2 | 29 | 31 | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 82 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 77 | 8 | 36 | 44 | 60 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 10 | ||
| 2009–10 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 82 | 14 | 55 | 69 | 51 | 22 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 10 | ||
| 2010–11 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 82 | 7 | 38 | 45 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 2011–12 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 74 | 4 | 36 | 40 | 42 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 47 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 31 | 22 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 18 | ||
| 2013–14 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 79 | 6 | 55 | 61 | 28 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 8 | ||
| 2014–15 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 80 | 10 | 35 | 45 | 20 | 23 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 67 | 9 | 34 | 43 | 26 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 80 | 6 | 47 | 53 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 913 | 90 | 421 | 511 | 507 | 126 | 18 | 63 | 81 | 62 | ||||
International[]
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Canada | WC | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2010 | Canada | Oly | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2012 | Canada | WC | 8 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2014 | Canada | Oly | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Senior int'l totals | 30 | 1 | 19 | 20 | 12 | |||
International Play[]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for  Canada
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| Winter Olympics | ||
| Gold | 2014 Sochi | |
| Gold | 2010 Vancouver | |
| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 2008 Canada | |
Duncan debuted internationally for Team Canada at the 2008 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.
He contributed two assists in nine games as Canada won a silver medal, losing in the gold medal game to Team Russia.
On December 30, 2009, Duncan was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He was named to the squad along with Blackhawks teammates Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews.
Although Duncan was expected to retain Seabrook as his defensive partner from the NHL to Team Canada, Brent ended up as the designated seventh defenceman while Duncan formed a pairing with Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings.
He finished the tournament with six assists, while leading Canada in ice time as Canada won the gold medal over the United States 3-2 in overtime on February 28, 2010. It was Duncan's first international gold medal.
Duncan played on Canada's gold-medal winning team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Personal Life[]
Duncan is the middle child of Dave and Jean Keith. He has an older brother named Cameron (born in 1981) and a younger sister named Rebecca (born in 1984).
In 1985, Duncan's family moved to Fort Frances, Ontario after his father was transferred from Winnipeg for an assistant manager position at a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) branch. Duncan's mother worked in the health field at the Rainycrest Home for the Aged in Fort Frances.
He grew up as a Boston Bruins fan, singling out defenseman Ray Bourque and forward Cam Neely as his favorite players, as well as Wayne Gretzky.
After Duncan established himself in the NHL, the town of Fort Frances recognized his success by declaring July 17, 2008 "Duncan Keith Day."
Duncan played minor hockey in the Fort Frances Minor Hockey Association along with his older brother. Initially beginning as a forward with the Fort Frances Times Tigers, he has recalled switching to defense at the age of eight or nine. Duncan went on to play AA Atom with Pinewood Sports and Marine Ltd and PeeWee with the Knights of Columbus.
While Duncan began to be recruited for AAA Bantam in Thunder Bay, Ontario, his father obtained a managerial position at a branch in Summerland, British Columbia.
When Duncan was 14 years old, his family moved once again to nearby Penticton, British Columbia where he finished his last two years of minor hockey. At the age of 16, he earned a spot on the local Junior A team, the Penticton Panthers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).
On May 7, 2013, Duncan and his ex-wife Kelly-Rae welcomed a son named Colton Duncan Keith. Colton was born during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Chicago Blackhawks played against the Minnesota Wild.