Defenseman Duncan Keith, winner of three Stanley Cup championships with the Chicago Blackhawks, was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday in his first year of eligibility.
In addition to forming a formidable tandem with defensive partner Brent Seabrook, Keith was an offensive X-factor for the Hawks. He broke out with 14 goals and 55 assists during the 2009-10 season, when he won the first of two Norris Trophies (also 2013-14) as the NHL’s top defenseman.
The 2009-10 season was also when the Hawks won the first of their three titles in six years. Keith won the 2015 Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for the last of those championship runs.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native also won two Olympic gold medals with Canada — 2010 in Vancouver and 2014 in Sochi — and played in four NHL All-Star Games.
“Duncan defined the modern archetype for a complete defenseman,” Hawks Chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said in a statement. “His opponents feared his shutdown defense as much as they respected his offensive prowess. He played with grit and heart, giving his all every second he was on the ice.
“While Blackhawks fans have long understood Duncan’s profound impact on the game, we’re thrilled to see his legacy now celebrated on hockey’s biggest stage as he takes his well-deserved place among the game’s all-time greats.”
The eight-member Hall of Fame class also includes former NHL players Alexander Mogilny, Zdeno Chara and Joe Thornton, women’s hockey stars Brianna Decker and Jennifer Botterill and coaches Jack Parker and Daniele Sauvageau in the builders category.
They will be inducted during a Nov. 10 ceremony in Toronto. Keith will become the second member of the 2010s championship Hawks to be enshrined, joining forward Marian Hossa, who was inducted in 2021.
The Hawks picked Keith in the second round (No. 54) of the 2002 draft, and he spent 16 of his 17 NHL seasons in Chicago. He was granted a trade to the Edmonton Oilers for his last season (2021-22) so he could be closer to family before retiring.
All told, he put up 106 goals and 540 assists in 1,256 regular-season games, plus 18 goals and 70 assists in 151 postseason games.
Keith’s 1,192 regular-season games for the Hawks are the second-most in franchise history behind Stan Mikita’s 1,396, and he led the team in ice time in all 16 of his seasons in Chicago.
For all of his accomplishments and accolades, Keith may be most remembered — and adored in Chicago — for playing through the end of the 2010 Western Conference finals clincher against the San Jose Sharks after a flying puck knocked out seven teeth.
“It’s just missing teeth,” he told reporters at the time. “It’s a long way from the heart. I took one breath and it felt like my whole mouth was missing, so I knew there were some teeth gone.”