Keith Was Different From The Beginning
According to former Hawks defenseman Adrian Aucoin, who captained the team during the 2005-06 season, Keith's conditioning level was conspicuous even as a rookie. "I think the one summer Duncan came in and he didn't even ride the bike one time. He jogged, as you know he's very advanced with his workouts. He's cutting edge, he likes to try new things. And I thought the kid was nuts, I really did," Aucoin said on NBCSports' Blackhawks Talk Podcast. "I'm like, 'You come here, you haven't biked all summer and you're trying to make this team?' I think the average biking time for that test would have been anywhere from like 12 to 15 minutes and I think he was mid-20s. And they just had to say, 'Get off the bike.' Here's this little guy who, smaller guys ... usually don't go as long. And he blew everyone out of the water and that's when I kind of looked at him like, 'We're not sure how good of a hockey player he is yet, but this guy's in great shape.'" It would not take long before the Blackhawks found out how good of a hockey player Keith was. Less than five years later, he played an enormous role in bringing the Stanley Cup back to Chicago for the first time since 1961. Keith also was awarded his first Norris Trophy for top defenseman in the NHL that same summer. Aucoin also brought up a tremendous point that tends to get overlooked with Keith. Back in the early 2000s, the typical top-pairing defenseman did not look the way they do today. The NHL was seen as more of a hard-nosed game, which made it tougher for the smaller-framed defensemen. But Keith paved the way for the modern-day defenseman thanks to his tenacity, determination, and most of all, his WORK ETHIC. "Duncs was just so dynamic. He is the prototypical new era defenseman, and he was ahead of his time," Aucoin said. "I really think he's one of the kids who helped mold the new style of defensemen going forward and I think he revolutionized the position a little bit. So credit to him, I know everybody knows there's no one who works harder." Thanks to that hard work, Keith will likely anchor the Blackhawks' blue line until someone tells him he can't anymore. The 37-year-old is under contract with the Hawks for three more years with an AAV of $5.54 million and a full no-movement clause.Comments
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