Duncan Keith seldom reveals much in his interviews, but this time was different.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion and 2015’s unanimous Conn Smythe Trophy winner will not be attending this weekend’s annual Blackhawks fan festival in Chicago. Instead, he’ll be in British Columbia, spending precious time with his two-year-old son, Colton. Keith and Colton’s mother, Kelly-Rae, are in the midst of a divorce.
In an excellent article in the Chicago Tribune, the two-time Norris Trophy winner opened up about a taxing personal life. All those marathon shifts on the ice are nothing compared to what he’s enduring off the ice, the defenceman explained to columnist David Haugh. Here are some excerpts.
Keith on missing the Blackhawks convention: “I am going through a divorce. I’ve been separated for over a year now. I think right now my time needs to be spent with my son and I’m doing everything I can to spend as much time with him and dealing with a lot going on right now. I hope everybody can respect that and our privacy. Kelly and I are doing our best to co-parent Colton and raise him in a loving environment whether he’s with her or with me. This is part of that.”
On former teammate Patrick Sharp and rumours: “I’m not going to lie: It has been a long year and extremely difficult…. I know there was a lot of talk throughout the year regarding Sharpie and that was all a complete fabrication as well. My divorce had nothing to do with anything except what was between me and Kelly-Rae, and that’s where I’d like to keep it.
“Hopefully people can respect that and give us our privacy to move forward and co-parent our son.… It’s obviously not the way I wanted things to be or drew them up. At the same time, you have to find a way to focus. For me, it usually was getting to the rink and turning the switch to hockey.”
On Sharp and Johnny Oduya joining Dallas: “[Sharp] is along with Seabs [Brent Seabrook] one of my two best friends in hockey…. Anytime you play with someone for a long time you’re going to develop chemistry, a bond and a friendship and I was really close with those three guys.
“Sharpie, I played with for 10 years. It’s tough to say goodbye. They’re all difficult. As hockey players, we’ve been through this before when we know it’s part of the business. But at the same time, it sucks. There’s no other way to put it.”
Read Haugh’s full article here.
