Duncan Keith

Keith is the middle child of Dave and Jean Keith; older brother Cameron (born in 1981) and younger sister Rebecca (born in 1984).

Duncan Keith (born July 16, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers.

His father was in Winnipeg working at the local Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) branch when he transferred to Fort Frances, Ontario, in 1985 for an assistant manager position.

Keith's mother worked in the health field at Rainycrest Home for the Aged in Fort Frances.

Keith grew up as a Boston Bruins fan, singling-out defenceman Ray Bourque and forward Cam Neely as his favourite players, as well as Wayne Gretzky.

Keith played minor hockey in the Fort Frances Minor Hockey Association along with his brother.

Initially beginning as a forward with the Fort Frances Times Tigers, he has recalled switching to defence at the age of eight or nine.

He went on to play AA Atom with Pinewood Sports and Marine Ltd and PeeWee with the Knights of Columbus.

Keith played three years for the Penticton Panthers from 1999–00 through 2000–01, 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).

He scored a goal in his Spartans debut in the Cold War, an outdoor game at Spartan Stadium against the state-rival University of Michigan Wolverines on October 6, 2001, the game set a record for attendance at their hockey games.

He completed his freshman year with 3 goals and 15 points in 41 games, ranked fourth among team defencemen behind John-Michael Liles, Brad Fast and Andrew Hutchinson.

During Keith's second college season, he left the Spartans after 15 games to join the major junior 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 plus-minus in his single season there.

He also added 14 points in 19 playoff games.

Following his freshman year at Michigan State University, Keith was selected in the second round, 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).

Keith 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 the team affiliate Norfolk Admirals.

He recorded seven goals and 25 points over 75 games in his professional rookie season in 2003–04.

Keith's chances of earning a spot with the Blackhawks the following season were eliminated due to the 2004–05 NHL lock-out.

Remaining with the Admirals, he continued his pace with 26 points in 79 games.

In 2005–06, he played his NHL rookie season with the Blackhawks.

Four years later, he won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman.

Following two seasons in the AHL, Keith made the Blackhawks squad out of the 2005 training camp.

He played in his first NHL game on October 5, 2005, against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

He made an immediate impact on the club, scoring 9 goals and 21 points, while averaging over 23 minutes of ice time in 81 games during his 2005–06 NHL rookie season.

The Blackhawks re-signed him in the off-season to a four-year contract extension.

In 2006–07, he played in all 82 games for the Blackhawks and once again led the team in average ice time at 23 minutes.

He had 2 goals and 31 points while leading the team in blocked shots with 148.

For the 2007–08 season, Keith saw even more ice time as injuries wracked the Blackhawks' defensive corps.

After Keith established himself in the NHL, the town of Fort Frances recognized his success by declaring July 21, 2008, "Duncan Keith Day."

While Keith began to be recruited for AAA Bantam in Thunder Bay, Ontario, his father obtained a managerial position at a CIBC branch in Summerland, British Columbia.

At age 15, his family moved to nearby Penticton, where he finished his last two years of minor hockey.

He then earned a spot on the local Junior A team, the Penticton Panthers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), as a 16-year-old.

He won three Stanley Cup championships with Chicago in 2010, 2013, and 2015.

He is a two-time gold medallist in international competition, having appeared with Team Canada at the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

He won a second Norris in 2014 and received the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs by a unanimous vote.

Keith was known as a two-way defenceman, capable in both shutdown and offensive roles.

In 2017, Keith was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.