Slam Dunc: Keith proving he's a star

Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith has always had happy feet, as in dazzling speed and quickness.

But now at age 24, Keith has developed into the total package. This was recognized by those who selected him to play in today's NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta.

"He's come a long way," said Hawks assistant coach Mark Hardy. "I think his mind has finally caught up to his feet."

The Hawks raved about Keith's speed and quickness after they drafted him in the second round (54th overall) in 2002. But when Keith turned pro in 2003 and reported to Norfolk in the American Hockey League to play for coach Trent Yawney, that's about all there was to his game.

It was Yawney who began the process of making Keith into the all-star defenseman he is today.

"I never really had a coach take me aside when I was in junior or at Michigan State," said Keith. "It was nice to have him take me aside to show me what it was going to be like to be a pro and what it was going to be like to play defense at the pro level.

"Positioning was probably the biggest thing. In junior, I would just run around and try to get goals and assists as a defenseman. Obviously if you do that at the professional level then it will work the opposite way."

It was Yawney who also helped Keith develop the use of his stick, and now few defensemen in the NHL use their stick to poke away or steal pucks the way Keith does.

"The first thing you notice is his quickness and how fast he can move and get on pucks, but when he's in a battle he's really using that stick to his advantage," said teammate Patrick Sharp. "If I'm an offensive player playing against him, I'm thinking more about what's he's doing."

The way Keith closes on an opponent and wins battles is reminiscent of how Chris Chelios did it in his prime.

"He loves those battles," Sharp said. "That's the one thing, he loves to engage in the confrontation and fight for that puck. And with his speed and quickness, not only with his feet but with his stick and the control he has, it's tough to take the puck away from him."

Keith is unique when it comes to No. 1 defensemen. He logs the big minutes and draws the toughest assignments, and he does it in a 6-foot, 187-pound body.

"He's just becoming an all-around defenseman," Hardy said. "He's tenacious on the puck. He's not the biggest guy in the world, but he's like a little pit bull out there."

Hardy, who coaches the Hawks' defensemen, sees Keith making better and better decisions.

"He's much more patient with the puck and his reads are getting better," Hardy said. "He still has a long way to go, but he's more composed out there.

"He's always been a good player, but he's more consistent now. I think because he was going so fast he didn't see things as much and now he's looking more, looking around more and making better decisions whereas before it was take off and go."

Keith has had a great last month and seemed to elevate his game even more since being named an all-star.

"He's been consistent all year, but he's really, really come into his own and his game has risen up in the last couple weeks," said Hawks head coach Denis Savard. "He's been in the league a couple years now and it takes time for defensemen. It's a tough position to come in as a young player and be really good. I think he's going to be tremendous for us for a long time."

There isn't a player more fit on the Hawks than Keith, which is why Savard often runs him out there for more than 30 minutes in some games.

"He's got so much will and he wants to be good every night," Savard said. "He doesn't get tired. There might be a night he plays 40 minutes. We might try that because I think he can."

Keith laughed when told Savard wanted to play him 40 minutes.

"I get tired," he said. "But conditioning is something I take pride in and in the summer it's just a lifestyle kind of thing, something I do and something I enjoy."

Playing in the All-Star Game might even help Keith take his game higher.

"I never thought of myself as a player like (Scott) Niedermayer or (Chris) Pronger, but I would strive to be like that one day. I still feel like I have a lot of things to improve on, but right now to be an all-star is an amazing feeling."

Keith headed to Atlanta a team-best plus-16 with 5 goals and 12 assists.

"I'm sure now that he's an all-star it's sunk in a little bit that he deserves to be there," Sharp said. "He doesn't get the hype that some of the other guys get, but I think that's going to come.

"Anyone that watches the Hawks play knows what he brings to our team. You always hear about the guys that score the goals and receive most of the credit, but without Dunc, I don't know where we'd be."