Keith had 'big engine' on road to Hall of Fame in 1st year of eligibility

The 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame induction is Nov. 10. This year's class includes Jennifer Botterill, Zdeno Chara, Brianna Decker, Duncan Keith, Alexander Mogilny and Joe Thornton in the Player category and Jack Parker and Daniele Sauvageau in the Builder category. Here, NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers profiles Keith.

CHICAGO -- Duncan Keith always heard the chatter when he was coming up through the hockey ranks.

Keith becoming an NHL defenseman? Nope, it wasn't going to happen. At 6-foot, 168 pounds, Keith's height and weight according to NHL Central Scouting's final ranking for the 2002 NHL Draft, he simply wouldn't be big enough.

"I had lots of people tell me maybe I should be a forward instead of a defenseman," Keith said. "I just liked the position, I felt comfortable on the defense, and I just believed in myself. It was a steady kind of climb, just trying to keep improving. The desire to get better and improve and the hunger and drive was always there. I didn't really need any extra motivation but definitely used some of that talk as motivation."

That motivation and determination led Keith to becoming one of the League's best defensemen. Now it leads him to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

A second-round pick (No. 54) by the Blackhawks in the 2002 draft, Keith had 646 points (106 goals, 540 assists) in 1,256 regular-season games for the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers, and 91 points (19 goals, 72 assists) in 151 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

He played 16 seasons for Chicago and was a three-time Stanley Cup champion (2010, 2013, 2015). His 1,192 games is second in Blackhawks history behind Stan Mikita (1,396), and he's sixth in assists (520) and 10th in points (625). He's seventh with 86 points (18 goals, 68 assists) in 135 playoff games.

"To me, he was the greatest I've ever played with," said Brian Campbell, Keith's teammate from 2008-11 and 2016-17. "Just what he did on a nightly basis and then in the playoffs, it was pretty spectacular watching him. I'm pretty excited for him that way. You knew it was coming but it's still pretty cool to know that I played with another Hall of Famer. That's pretty good."

Keith won the 2015 Conn Smythe Trophy voted as the most valuable player of the postseason when he had 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in 23 games. He won the Norris Trophy voted as the best defenseman in the League in 2010 and 2014 and gold with Canada at the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Olympics. He was also named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017 as part of the League's centennial celebration.

"It's definitely well-deserved and something I never thought was going to be an issue," said Brent Seabrook, Keith's longtime defense partner in Chicago. "I thought he was going to be a first ballot, for sure, and I'm really pumped and happy for him and proud of him. We were sort of attached at the hip for 15 years there, being around each other, so it's awesome for him."

Keith left it all on the ice, from the minutes he played (24:41 per game during the regular season, 27:07 in the playoffs) to the seven teeth he lost when San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau's shot hit him in the mouth in Game 4 of the 2010 Western Conference Final.

"That was Duncan Keith," said "NHL on TNT" lead color commentator Eddie Olczyk, a former Blackhawks player and broadcaster. "Most people probably don't play again after that, but the toughness and understanding of how big a moment it was, Keith said, 'Hey, I'm not going to miss a shift, and we'll worry about the chicklets later.' A young man who became a great man who represented our city and franchise extremely well and turned into a phenomenal player."

Keith was also very meticulous. When he announced his retirement in Edmonton on July 12, 2022, he thanked, among others, the trainers, saying "I know you put up with a lot, and I appreciate that." From sticks to skates, Keith made sure everything was exactly how he wanted it.

"'Duncs' had 60 pairs of skates and had to bring every pair of them when we went on the road in the playoffs," said Anaheim Ducks coach Joel Quenneville, who guided Keith and the Blackhawks to the three Stanley Cup championships. "He was finicky, a little bit, with his skates, but he liked to play and when the game started, we liked to play him a lot more than probably he thought he'd be playing a lot of nights. He just loves the game."

That love of the game started in youth hockey, where Keith made an impression on future teammates, including Patrick Sharp from 2005-15 and 2017-18.

"I always heard about this kid who's two years younger than me who's from Fort Francis (Ontario) and was going to tear up Thunder Bay in our leagues," Sharp said. "He certainly showed me that as a young age.

"Going back to when he was 11, he was the smallest guy on the ice in a game that was really physical and violent back in the 90s when he was growing up. The crack against him when he was drafted was he was too small, and he wasn't going to be able to handle the pro game. He kept proving people wrong every step of the way. All the way until the end of his career, he was getting better at certain things."

Keith was known for his offense playing with Kelowna in the Western Hockey League but started to become a more well-rounded defenseman in Norfolk, the Blackhawks' American Hockey League affiliate, from 2003-05. His ability to play big minutes was always there.

"The first couple of years in the minors, back when we were still playing three (games) in three (days), he'd be excited to play that first one," said Trent Yawney, Keith's coach in Norfolk and Chicago, the latter from 2005-07. "He'd be all over the ice, the second he'd calm down and the third he'd play his best when everyone was dead.

"I use Dunc quite a bit in terms of referencing that he did spend some time in the minors and he wasn't the finished product by any means (early in his NHL career), but Dunc was a true pro. He trained and he ate properly, and he was a freak. He had that ability to stay on the ice for long periods of time and not get tired."

Keith said he just always had, "a big engine."

"Not that I wasn't tired, because I definitely felt I was hit by a bus after some games," he said. "Especially when you play those long playoff games, where you're going into overtime, it can be pretty grueling. The recovery and after comes into play and conditioning."

Keith was one of several young prospects determined to get the Blackhawks back to prominence in the early 2000s. One was forward Jonathan Toews, who joined them in 2007-08. Keith had an impact on a lot of teammates including Toews, who was named Blackhawks captain July 18, 2008, and signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets on June 20 after two seasons out of the League.

"I'd say a lot of my challenges and my growth experiences, whatever you want to call them as a young captain, came from being around guys like that," Toews said. "Guys like he and 'Sharpie' really held me accountable in certain areas. He's as smart as he is talented and he was more dedicated to the game of hockey than anyone I know. He was always the guy who was researching things, training, recovery, health stuff. I learned a ton from him in so many ways."

Keith was a quick, aggressive defenseman, which is why his pairing with Seabrook, more of a stay-at-home player, worked so well for so long. The two, who lived together in their early days in Chicago and have remained great friends, just meshed.

"We both supported each other out there and understood how to be an outlet," Keith said. "That and combination of his strengths, which was his passing ability and vision out there and his size and strength, too, allowed me to flourish and play my game. Just being able to jump into the play, and I knew he would be able to read it and make any sort of adjustment he needed to make."

Keith is still involved in the game, coaching his 12-year-old son Colton, who's also a defenseman.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," he said.

It's been a long but wonderful hockey trek, and his induction into the Hall of Fame is truly humbling.

"It's such a huge honor and one that I'm extremely proud of," Keith said. "It was a slow transition, I feel like. It was a steady progression where, for me, I just wanted to get better. I wanted to be in the NHL, and it was one step at a time."