Happy Birthday, Duncan Keith
Wednesday is Duncan Keith’s 31st birthday. Less than one month removed from receiving his second Norris Trophy, the future Hall of Famer continues to be a rock on the Hawks’ blue line.
The number on his sweater is burned into his resume with almost uncanny consistency (for now). Keith, a 2nd round pick in 2002, has 2 Stanley Cup championships, 2 Norris Trophies and 2 Olympic gold medals. Beyond his number, however, Keith continues to build one of the finest records in the game. Consider the exclusive company that Keith is in:
- Only 12 players in NHL history have won the Norris Trophy twice. Of that 12, only one – Nicklas Lidstrom – is not in the Hall of Fame… yet.
- Only 7 players in NHL history have won the Norris Trophy and the Stanley Cup more than once each: Bobby Orr, Doug Harvey, Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, Paul Coffey, Denis Potvin and Keith.
- Keith is one of 5 active* players to be better than +100 in his career. The others: Zdeno Chara, Chris Pronger*, Willie Mitchell and Brent Seabrook.
(* – Pronger hasn’t retired, so by the NHL’s definition he’s still “active.”) - Keith ranks 10th among active defensemen with 370 career points (65 goals, 305 assists) in 686 regular season games. Only two of the players ahead of him – Andrei Markov and Dion Phaneuf – have played fewer than 830 games.
- Only 4 active defensemen – Pronger, Sergei Gonchar, Dan Boyle and Chara – have more career postseason points than Keith’s 54 (12 goals, 42 assists).
- Keith (686) and Seabrook (681) rank 19th and 20th, respectively, in career games played in a Blackhawks’ sweater. Keith is 80 games away from tying Kenny Wharram for 13th in franchise history.
- Only five defensemen have played more games in the Indian head than Keith: Bob Murray (1,008), Doug Wilson (938), Pierre Pilote (821), Keith Brown (812) and Doug Jarrett (721).
- Only four defensemen have more points in the Indian head than Keith: Wilson (779), Murray (514), Chelios (487) and Pilote (477).
My son still has his Norfolk Admirals jersey signed by Duncan. He spent 2 full years (154 games) in the AHL and they had a hell of a team. Kieth and his partner Wisniewski, Rene Bourque, Babchuk, Ellison, Vandermeer, Moen, Cote, Shawn Thorton (always forget he was in the Hawks org.) with C Anderson and M Leighton tending goal.
Happy Bday Duncan, Hawk forever.
Its a 4 person, two story & two pitcher beer funnel time for Dunks hometown buddies.
At 31, he will hopefully have many good season left. His skating and endurance don’t look to have slipped and with his workout regimen he should be a solid #1 d-man for the Hawks for years to com. He gets a lot of crap for his shooting accuracy (lack thereof) and rightfully so, but somehow he still managed to put up a lot of points for a d-man so he must be doing a lot more right than wrong in that regard.
Happy b-day Duncs. Hopefully there will be many many more to celebrate.
Dunks will always be IMO the 1st piece of that 2010 Stanley Cup championship team. When Keith broke camp in 05-06 the Blackhawks were far from a contender and had very few players worth watching. Keith was one of those players; his skating and passing were on a level I hadn’t seen from a Hawks d-man in a long time!
Southside…….you’re correct, but let’s not forget Sharpie on the forward line. These two players are fitness training fanatics who set the bar high for the rest of the team. These two players were the start of a turn around that made the fans proud.
4-5 at a dominant level barring injury and he can probs play into his 40s if managed appropriately.
Sick cap hit too. For 8 or 9 more years… bam.
Happy B’day to a legendary Blackhawk!
That is one damn impressive list. Every time I see a compilation on DK to date it makes me shake my head, while giving thanks. He has been invaluable to this franchise. A real big time difference maker. I have enjoyed watching his career play out in Chicago as much as anyone
Q needs to lighten the load a little on 2, its overdue. Whether its PP time or elsewhere. I know 2 wants every second but he needs to be here a few more years and be playing at a high level. I don’t think for a second that he isn’t capable, in fact I would bet on it. Just give him a an extra blow or two every night. Without any major injury this guy could blow past 40 like some greats might have treated 30. Cheers Dunc!