Keith was determined to play, and succeed, in the NHL. He's realized that dream to an extent that not even he could have imagined.

Keith was born in Winnipeg and played youth hockey in Fort Francis, Ontario, before his family moved to British Columbia at age 15. He played two seasons with Penticton of the British Columbia Hockey League before attending Michigan State University in 2001-02. The Chicago Blackhawks selected him in the second round (No. 54) of the 2002 NHL Draft, and Keith played one more season split between Michigan State and Kelowna of the Western Hockey League before turning pro.

Keith played two seasons for Norfolk, then the American Hockey League affiliate of the Blackhawks, before making the NHL in 2005-06. Over the next decade, he was part of a young core of talent that included forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and longtime defense partner Brent Seabrook; together, they helped the Blackhawks go from a team that missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs nine times in a span of 10 seasons beginning in 1996-97 to one that won three championships in six seasons from 2009-10 to 2014-15.

A big reason for that success was Keith, who had a breakout season in 2009-10, finishing with 69 points (14 goals, 55 assists) to win the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman. He then contributed 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) in 22 playoff games to help the Blackhawks end a Stanley Cup drought that dated to 1961.

Keith remained among the NHL's best defensemen during the 2010s. He helped the Blackhawks win the Cup again in 2013, won the Norris Trophy for the second time in 2013-14, finishing with 61 points (six goals, 55 assists) and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2015, when the Blackhawks won the Cup for the third time in six seasons. Keith finished the 2015 playoffs with 21 points, including a League-leading 18 assists, in 23 games. He averaged 31:07 of ice time, including 49:51 in a three-overtime victory against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, and scored the Cup-winning goal in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In January 2017, Keith was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. One month later, he had an assist to become the third defenseman in Blackhawks history with 500 NHL points, and he capped the season by being voted an NHL Second-Team All-Star.

On Dec. 11, 2018, Keith and Seabrook became the first pair of defensemen, and the seventh duo in NHL history, to play 1,000 games together, and on Feb. 21, 2020, Keith had an assist for his 600th NHL point, becoming the 10th Blackhawks player (and second defenseman) to reach that milestone.

Keith has also had success internationally, helping Canada win the gold medal in ice hockey at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• NHL First All-Star Team (2010, 2014)
• NHL Second All-Star Team (2017)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (2008, 2011, 2015, 2017)
• Traded to Edmonton by Chicago with Tim Soderlund for Caleb Jones and a conditional pick in 2022 NHL Draft, July 12, 2021.