THE VERDICT: Conversation with Keith

By playing in his 1,000th game this Saturday night, Duncan Keith will become just the sixth member of the Blackhawks to do so in franchise history. He's won three Stanley Cups, two Norris Trophies and has established himself as one of the best defensemen in the National Hockey League. Called a "cyborg" by Sports Illustrated, this marathon man logs massive minutes, and here he spends a few with chicagoblackhawks.com.
VERDI: You've accomplished a lot during your career, and now you match your pal, Brent Seabrook, by playing your 1,000th game for the Blackhawks. You don't get too wrapped up in personal achievements, but what does this mean to you?
KEITH:I'm definitely proud. It wasn't something I set out to do, for sure, but as I got closer I realized that, yeah, it's a cool number. There aren't that many players who have made it to 1,000 games in the National Hockey League, so it's an honor to be in that group. But I want to keep going.

VERDI:Is that all it is, a number?
KEITH:No. But I have a hard time looking back and analyzing my career so far. I'm more of the mindset to keep pushing forward and pushing forward. I don't like to rest on my laurels or whatever. I've done what I've done through drive and determination. Maybe when it's all said and done I'll look back and appreciate it more. But not now.
VERDI:Oct. 5, 2005. What do you remember about your first game?
KEITH:We played Anaheim at the United Center. They were the Mighty Ducks then. Trent Yawney was our head coach. I was fortunate to have had him as a coach with our farm team, the Norfolk Admirals, for a couple years. He was important to my development. He would take me aside to teach me, and I could sense that he believed in me as an NHL defenseman. And I believed in him. Whatever he said, I took as gospel.
VERDI:What did he instill in you?
KEITH:Trent taught me to play defense according to my strengths. Not to try to be physical necessarily, but using my quickness, having a quick stick, closing the gap. Anyway, I started that first game on the blue line. I can't remember who I was with -don't think it was Seabs, although he made his NHL debut that same night. The building was half empty, and I remember thinking during the National Anthem, 'well, I finally made it.'
VERDI:Knowing you, that probably went down as just a first step.
KEITH:Exactly. Once you get to the NHL, then it's about staying in the NHL. All that meant was that I was in the door. It didn't mean that I could take a breath. Nothing beats hard work.
VERDI:Where did you get that work ethic?
KEITH:Probably from my parents, both of them. Along the way you hear things from people, that you're too small and all that. "He's not big enough. How is he going to survive?" That's part of the reason I worked on my quickness. Maybe that way, you don't get hit as much by bigger players. I didn't pay much attention to the negative stuff. I always believed in myself.
VERDI:You were drafted 54th overall in the second round of 2002. Seabrook came a year later. You're 35, the senior guy on the team. Feel like it?
KEITH:I think I'm starting to. There are so many young guys, and we're all at different points in our lives. We've got kids in their 20s, early 20s, and I've got a young son. Colton is 5. He's a beauty. He's a character. He's full of life, fun to be around. He's got a personality. A lot of kids his age are shy, but not Colton. He's a little goofy.
VERDI:Did he get that from you?
KEITH:I guess. Probably. He's got the hockey stick in his hand, too. Sometimes I'll be working out at home in Penticton (British Columbia) during the summer before he wakes up. Then he shows up, I get him a milk, and he just likes to hang out. We're on a lake and if I have things to do, he just follows along. If I jump in the sauna or the cold tub, he jumps in with me. He's action. I can chill out after a workout and relax, but he's not one to do nothing.

VERDI:At the NHL's centennial celebration in 2017, you were voted one of the 100 greatest players ever. How did that feel?
KEITH:Well, I get this phone call one day. A message from Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner. I thought it was a prank. Maybe one of our guys, or some fan with a New York accent, which is where the call came from. Maybe some fan got my number. But the message sounded like him, so I called it and Gary Bettman got on the line and congratulated me. He said they had a panel voting on the top 100, and I was on there.
VERDI:It wasn't a prank.
KEITH:No, and there I am with a bunch of guys I grew up watching, idols of mine. It's a great honor. But I think the success we've had as a team in Chicago has helped Tazer (Jonathan Toews), Kaner (Patrick Kane) and others achieve these individual accolades and awards. So, I feel fortunate to have been part of great teams with great coaches in a great organization.
VERDI:You mentioned before about wanting to keep going. What goals do you have?
KEITH:Well, another Stanley Cup, for sure. At least one more. Three is nice. There's a select group of players who have won three. But there's another select group of players who have won four. At first, in 2010, I was happy to win one. But then you think to yourself, well, that was Andrew Ladd's second. He has two. Then when you get two in 2013, you want three. All comes down to hunger. You get hungry for more.
VERDI:Talk about your charity, Keith Relief.
KEITH:We started it a few years ago. You want to find a way to give back. You're making all this money, and people in Chicago have treated me, my family and friends so great. We have a country concert at Joe's Bar. It's bad enough to be in the hospital, it's another kick in the stomach to wind up with medical bills you can't afford. So, that's where we direct the funds. Back home in Penticton, we do something similar. Doing something like that, being in the NHL, it comes with the territory. I'm not Mother Teresa. Just trying to do my part.
VERDI:Marian Hossa.
KEITH:When we first got him as a free agent in 2009, I went to dinner with him and Tomas Kopecky. Hossa was a legitimate superstar in our league. We all looked at him as better than us. He started out hurt, you remember, but then he played his first game for us in San Jose and he scored on a breakaway. I'm thinking, 'that's why we got this guy.' The guy didn't miss under pressure. Then you get to know him, and he's one of the best teammates you could have. One of the best people. Selfless, leader by example, true professional, committed. He just never screwed up. On or off the ice. And toward the end of his career, as he got older, he was still one of the best two-way forwards, one of the best backcheckers, in the league. Had the puck on a string and protected it. What a career he had.

VERDI:Obviously, the Blackhawks had to pay him. But were you surprised when he chose Chicago?
KEITH:We had a good young team, and Hossa might have taken note. Rocky Wirtz took over the organization, and the rest of the league could see that things were changing. The city sells itself. At the time, I was in shock that we didn't get Martin Havlat back. Then the Blackhawks turn around and get Hossa. Wow. Havlat was great, but the same day he signs with Minnesota, we get Hossa. I'm thinking, 'well, that's OK.'
VERDI:Patrick Sharp.
KEITH:There's another guy I miss. We all miss. It was sad when he got traded to Dallas, but it was nice to play with him one more season last year. Didn't think that was going to happen. Him and Seabs are my closest buddies. We were together for three Cups. Sharpy came over in a trade during my rookie year. I was living with Seabs. We have Sharpy over and he would watch his old Philadelphia Flyers team with mixed emotions. They were good, we weren't. But we started to get better, and we were together all the way through the progression. Sharpy was a great teammate.
VERDI:You and Seabrook lived together?
KEITH:Yeah, 34th floor of the Eugenie Terrace building. I was 22. I had no clue what I was doing. He was younger and more mature. He had his routine, his idiosyncrasies.
VERDI:Sharp roomed with him on the road, briefly. He said he loves Seabrook but could never live with him.
KEITH:Understand. Seabs was very organized, so he might have six alarm clocks set so he wouldn't sleep in. I would have an alarm set, but only five minutes before I had to get up. Not six alarm clocks, 45 minutes before I had to get up. He's very organized. Meticulous.
VERDI:What are your idiosyncrasies?
KEITH:I don't know. What is an idiosyncrasy?
VERDI:Well, you're the one who brought up the word referring to Seabrook. An idiosyncrasy is a mannerism or a quirky habit that's a bit different.
KEITH:So we're back to goofy? Everybody is different, right? I like to have fun and hang around the guys, in the locker room and on the bus. I like being around people. I enjoy having my space, but I like people. I've heard some people call me eccentric, but I don't know about that. What does eccentric mean?

VERDI:It means you could have idiosyncrasies. Anyone who reaches the pinnacle of his or her profession, as you have, probably is a little eccentric.
KEITH:Well, I'm obsessed with what I do, if that's what you're getting at. Every day I wake up thinking about what I can do to get better. Even in the middle of July. How is my workout going to go? It's all in my head. 'I can't waste this day.' Is that being eccentric?
VERDI:What did you do today to get better at hockey?
KEITH:I'm doing this interview, which doesn't help. But before the interview, I went to the store to shop for the proper vegetables and fruits to feed my temple. I'm not a psychopath about diet. I eat some junk. But I'm best when I plan out my day, do my workout, get my rest and feed my temple.
VERDI:After the Blackhawks missed the playoffs last year, a common theory evolved. The team is getting old, the championship window is closing. What about that?
KEITH:Time will tell. Don't count us out. I still believe I can compete at the highest level. I know I can. And our other guys who have done it before can do it again. There's a lot that goes into winning a Stanley Cup. We all have to be at our best.
VERDI:Were you at your best last year?
KEITH:No.

VERDI:Why? Too many different defense partners? Too many goalies?
KEITH:That's the easy way out. I take ownership of my game. I'm definitely still hungry, but I have to adjust to the way the league has changed. I'm at my best when I take off with the puck. Playing loose, jump into the play, basically just not be too conservative as I've gotten older.
VERDI:What part of your conservative play had to do with Corey Crawford's absence since Christmas?
KEITH:Maybe that affected me a bit. I never thought that would, but it did and that's an area where I could be better. When I was younger, I wouldn't have thought like that. But if you're playing not to get scored on, you're going to get scored on. Corey stood on his head for us the last couple years. Same with Darls (Scott Darling) when he was here. They covered up a lot of things. And this isn't putting it on the other guys. We weren't good last year in front of Anton Forsberg. We hung out Jeff Glass to dry lots of times. Our compete level, our decision-making with or without the puck wasn't there. By Corey being hurt, maybe it exposed some things that were good for us to see, that will make us look in the mirror.
VERDI:Upset about last year?
KEITH:Yes. Embarrassing. We worked hard to put this team on the map, and we want to keep it there. Actually, more frustrating than embarrassing. Anger. But it's one thing to be mad and another thing to go do it. I don't think we're that bad a team. You hear that everything is cyclical. We've skated a lot of miles winning three Cups, and so on. Maybe that's true, but it's also easy just to say. We won for a long while, so now we're supposed to lose? Why?