Duncan Keith an Ironman on skates
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville probably realizes he should be amazed that on any night, in any game, he can throw Duncan Keith out on the ice for 25 or 30 minutes — or more — and know he is going to receive an all-world performance from the Blackhawks' two-time Norris Trophy winner.
Quenneville should be amazed, but after seeing the 31-year-old Keith in action all these years, he's just not.
It's a given.
“He loves ice time,” Quenneville said of the player who has led the Hawks in ice time in every season since 2005-06. “Certain guys' bodies, they can skate all day and they can play all night.
“So, it's a situation with him, it doesn't really tax him as much as maybe certain players. He's efficient in his movements and he's got one those bodies that can play all day.”
And in the Hawks' first two games of the season, it kind of seems like Keith has.
In the season opener against Dallas, Keith played a game-high 29:40, and he followed that up with a stint of 27:25 in Saturday's win over Buffalo.
For Keith, big minutes are just part of the J-O-B. It's what he loves to do and it's absolutely the furthest thing from a big deal.
“As players we just want to play,” he said. “I don't pay attention to it to be honest with you — just play the game. Got a lot of time here to rest, it's only Game 2, so we're all good.
“I've done it before. I played 35 minutes in games and played 40 minutes in playoff games. It's what I'm here to do, right?”
Plus, not every game laden with big minutes has the same effect on a player, according to No. 2.
“It just depends so much on the game,” Keith said. “Playing 30 minutes in the other team's end the whole game, you're not that tired. If you play 22 minutes in your own end, you are.
“Every game is different. Stats can be misleading because you never know how hard the minutes are, how much you were sharing in your own end ... things like that.”
Just how has the veteran been able to keep up a pace in which he's averaged over 25 minutes of ice time per game throughout his career?
It's all about a vigorous off-season workout regime that has led to him consistently being at or near the top of the list of Blackhawks players in overall fitness.
“I try to work my hardest every summer,” he said. “I try to get to that point where I'm working my hardest, working smart and doing things that I know are going to prepare me.
“Just have to work out and train. You see the young guys come up, they've had nutritionists an trainers since they were 15 years old.
“It's all just part of the game now — you've got to be in good shape to play.”