Duncan Keith

Duncan Keith (born on July 16, 1983 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is an alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

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

Playing Career[]

Junior/collegiate[]

Duncan 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, that set a record for attendance at a hockey game.

Duncan 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 his second college season, he left the Spartans after 15 games to join the major junior ranks.

Duncan 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 post-season games.

Professional[]

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 the team affiliate Norfolk Admirals. He recorded seven 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 lock-out. Remaining with the Admirals, he continued his pace with 26 points in 79 games. Following two seasons in the AHL, he made the Blackhawks squad out of the 2005 training camp.

He played in his first NHL game on October 5, 2005 against the Anaheim Ducks. He made an immediate impact on the club, scoring nine 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 Duncan during the off-season to a four-year contract extension. In the 2006–07 season, he 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 season, Duncan saw even more ice time as injuries wracked the Blackhawks' defensive corps. He began the season on the top-defensive pairing with Brent Seabrook.

By mid-January, Duncan was averaging 24:31 minutes of ice time and had a team leading plus-minus of +14. He was rewarded for this effort by a selection to his first NHL All-Star Game in 2008.

Duncan 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 season. He helped a rejuvenated Blackhawks team, led by second-year forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane back into the Stanley Cup 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 Seabrook as one of the top shutdown pairings in the League, he made significant offensive improvement in the 2009–10 season.

On December 3, 2009, the Blackhawks announced having extended his 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 12-year, $62.8 million contract signed several months prior in July of 2009.

He 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 1995–96.

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.

Duncan 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, he outvoted Green and Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings to earn the award as the NHL'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 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 seven goals and 45 points over 82 games. Facing the Canucks in the first round, the Blackhawks were eliminated in seven games. He recorded four goals and two assists during the series.

On March 23, 2012, he was suspended five games for delivering an elbow to the head of Canuck forward Daniel Sedin. 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, Duncan received a one-game suspension for a slash to the face of Los Angeles Kings' forward Jeff Carter during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. The league, in announcing the suspension, referred to the slash as "a one handed upward swing" which struck Carter directly in the face causing a laceration which required 20 stitches to close.

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.

Duncan 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, he was awarded his second Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman.

Duncan won his third Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks on June 15, 2015. For his role in the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, he received the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs, also scoring 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.

On March 29, 2016, Duncan swung his stick into the face of Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle in retaliation after being checked to the ice, leaving Coyle with blood dripping down his nose and requiring medical attention. He received a match penalty for intent to injure.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety reviewed the incident and determined Duncan's conduct was "an intentional and retaliatory act of violence by a player with a history of using his stick as a weapon".

Duncan was suspended for six games (the final five games of the regular season and the first game of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs), causing him to forfeit $148,883.35 in salary under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

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
2017–18	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	82	2	30	32	28	—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	82	6	34	40	70	—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	61	3	24	27	18	9	0	5	5	4
NHL totals			1,138	101	509	610	623	135	18	68	86	66

International[]

Year	Team	Event	Result	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2000	Canada Pacific	U17	Template:Brca	6	1	3	4	0
2008	Canada	WC	Template:Sica	9	0	2	2	6
2010	Canada	OG	Template:Goca	7	0	6	6	2
2012	Canada	WC	5th	8	1	10	11	0
2014	Canada	OG	Template:Goca	6	0	1	1	4
Junior totals				6	1	3	4	0
Senior totals				30	1	19	20	12

International Play[]

Duncan made his international debut for Team Canada at the 2008 World Championships. He contributed two assists in nine games as Canada won a silver medal, losing in the gold medal game to 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 he was expected to retain Seabrook as his defensive partner from the NHL to Team Canada, Seabrook ended up as the designated seventh defenceman while Duncan formed a pairing with Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings.

Duncan 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 his first international gold medal.

Duncan played on Canada's Gold medal winning team at the Ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament in Sochi, Russia.

Accolades[]

Award	Year
4x NHL All-Star	2008, 2011, 2015, 2017
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