DeBrincat scores twice as Blackhawks win in OT
Duncan Keith is as tough they come.
He'll take a monster hit or step in front of a slap shot without a second thought and keep right on going.
But when Keith looked up at the United Center scoreboard Saturday and saw his 5-year-old son leading off a stirring highlight video commemorating 1,000 games with the Blackhawks, well, how could he not get emotional?
"I'm proud of you dad, and I love you," Colton said.
"That was very touching," Keith said.
The touching tributes continued all night as Brent Seabrook, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Adam Burish reminisced and poked a little fun at their friend and teammate.
The party was nearly ruined by a feisty bunch of St. Louis Blues, but Alex DeBrincat scored 2 clutch goals - the second with nine seconds left in overtime - and the Hawks escaped with a crazy 4-3 victory.
The Hawks (3-0-2) became the first team in NHL history to begin a season with five straight OT games.
"They've been exciting for the fans, that's for sure," Keith said.
The Hawks, who got first-period goals from Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane, completely dominated the first half of the game. Jake Allen (46 saves) kept the Blues alive, though, and when Brayden Schenn scored his second goal at 4:47 of the third period, the Hawks were suddenly behind 3-2.
Then, with 7:01 remaining, Keith intercepted a pass at center ice, wheeled around and found Toews at the offensive blue line. The Hawks' captain patiently waited for DeBrincat to sprint down the middle and fired a perfect pass to his linemate.
In the blink of an eye, the puck was off DeBrincat's stick and past Allen.
Tie game.
"Last year right from the outset he showed he can do a lot of amazing things," coach Joel Quenneville said. "Tremendous hands."
The game-winner came after Erik Gustafsson faked a shot and threw a pass to a wide-open DeBrincat. The easy tap-in goal sent the UC into hysterics and gave DeBrincat a whopping 6 goals in just five games.
St. Louis (1-1-2) got its other goal from David Perron.
Kane, who now has 5 goals, took 14 total shots, 9 on net. New linemate Alexandre Fortin twice came tantalizingly close to scoring, only to be turned away on by a lunging Allen in the first period and by the right post in the third.
On any other night, Seabrook may have been honored as well. The Hawks' veteran D-man played in his 1,009th regular-season game, passing Bob Murray for the most in franchise history.
Quenneville certainly recognized how big a game it was for both of his veterans, putting them out together to start the game.
Keith, too, paid tribute to his buddy in the postgame locker room.
"We've been riding shotgun together for our whole career," he said. "I couldn't imagine my career (or) my 1,000 games without him. All the experiences and memories that I've had - winning and even losing - and the fun times we've had off the ice.
"I owe a lot of my success and I think the team does as well to Brent."