Duncan Keith may go down as one of the best defensemen in Chicago Blackhawks history. Keith played 16 seasons wearing the Indian head sweater as the Blackhawks were the only team he has ever played for. Sixteen years on the ice, defending the net and his goalie, where he helped a broken franchise at the time to build a new identity. Three Stanley Cups!!! In 2010 at the rally, after winning the first cup of that dynasty, he asked the crowd “Does anybody know a good dentist?” Most great defensemen in the NHL will do anything to help their team win a game. Even throw their bodies in the line of fire from a puck cruising at 90 MPH. Sure hockey players have pads, but the puck can land in areas where the pads may not be there. Duncan Keith was like a secret service agent protecting the president who was the goalie in the game of Blades of Steel. It was not the puck that made Duncan Keith spit out seven teeth like they were sunflower seeds in a baseball dugout. It was the high stick of San Jose Sharks Patrick Marleau’s stick that got Keith right in the jaw in the 2010 post season. Duncan Keith would come back after that in the same game after the team stopped the bleeding. The words, “Does anybody know a good dentist” as Keith spoke at the parade are etched in the mind of all Blackhawk fans that season. Duncan Keith will be moving on to another chapter of his hockey career as he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers ending ties with the only team he ever played for in his entire career.

Duncan Keith only tallied up 15 total points last season with 4 goals and 11 assists. Duncan Keith, at the age of 37, was reborn last season as he changed up his workout and diet to find his former self. The last few seasons prior to last season, Duncan Keith was clinging to that no trade clause he had and to many the writing was on the wall he was washed up. With the no trade clause the Blackhawks were paying him big money and had salary cap issues as a whole with the entire roster. Keith reborn had some teams interested in his services. It was Keith who wanted to be traded closer to home to be around his son. The Edmonton Oilers will be the new home for Duncan Keith as they made a deal to land the veteran. Blackhawks get a young 24 year old defensemen in Caleb Jones who has some NHL experience under his belt with a future 3rd round draft pick. The Oilers get Duncan Keith of course and forward Tim Soderlund.

It will be sad to see Duncan Keith wear another hockey jersey. How long as fans do we have to watch this old dynasty crumble brick by brick? Last off season we saw goalie Corey Crawford hang up the skates. We saw Andrew Shaw walk away from the game due to concussions. Brent Seabrook finally called it quits after dealing with lingering injuries year after year. The Captain, Jonathan Toews, had some health issues forcing him to miss the entire season last year. The Blackhawks traded away Brandon Sadd again. Patrick Kane is the last man standing and is the only one to build another team around. The General Manager Stan “who’s not the man” Bowman has work to do to reload the Blackhawks and get the Indian head back to the post season. Bowman now can’t use that salary cap as his excuse as Duncan Keith 5.5 Million every year will come off the books.

In sports, it is hard for many players to play their game with one team their entire career. Sometimes watching these former players who are aging on your team is even more difficult like a Duncan Keith. Even though last season I applauded how Duncan Keith played but overall it is time to move on from one of the core members of that three cup dynasty team. It’s the contact, not the player in this case. If Duncan Keith was playing for the league minimum or something a tad over, I’d be like let him ride out his career. He has some gasoline still left in the tank and is a leader on the ice. When you win multiple cups, sometimes you pay dearly for many years after which the Blackhawks rewarding so many no trade clauses to that core. Duncan Keith’s next chapter means he needs to be closer to his family which I get. As a Blackhawk fan, we’ve seen him in 1,192 regular season games not counting the extended post season. Keith with that wicked slap shot from half ice as he scored 105 tallies dishing out 520 assists to many teammates in his 16 year career for 625 points. To me, all the shots he took off his body to help his team. Plus defending his goalie like he was the President. Duncan Keith is a total stand up type of guy and one my favorite players of all-time wearing the Indian Head sweater. Hope the Blackhawks use this now available space for something good. Stan Bowman should feel the mob presence behind his back with pitch forks and torches. For Edmonton, adding a veteran defense-men to go along with one of the premiere super stars in the league Connor McDavid may be a small step for this team to get further in the post season. In Chicago Duncan Keith and his entire family for generations should be able to drink free in the city of Chicago. We will miss him as well as I hope he did indeed find a good dentist during his time playing for one the original hockey franchises.