There's no slowing down for Duncan Keith on the eve of his 1,000th game

Dale Tallon will never forget what went through his mind the first time he saw an 18-year-old Duncan Keith at Michigan State.

"His feet didn't touch the ice. I never saw a kid skate like that," said Tallon, who was a Blackhawks scout in the early 2000s and was instrumental in the Blackhawks drafting Keith with the 54th overall pick in 2002.

Nearly two decades later - as Keith gets set to play in his 1,000th NHL game for the Hawks Saturday at the United Center - Tallon admitted it took a leap of faith to select such an undersized player.

"At that time, you were taking a big risk on a 5-9, 150-pound defenseman. His feet were the key," said Tallon, now the general manager of the Florida Panthers. "He had to get bigger and stronger. His feet were too fast for his hands at one time.

"And then everything came together."

Did it ever.

• • •

In 13 seasons, Keith has racked up 92 goals, 454 assists, two Norris Trophies, a Conn Smythe Trophy and three Stanley Cup titles.

It's been quite a ride - and one that began alongside good friend Brent Seabrook when they broke into the league as fresh-faced rookies in 2005-06. Those Hawks suffered through a dismal 26-43-13 season, but Keith and Seabrook formed a bond that stays strong to this day.

Management had the two stay at the Sutton Place hotel, then they moved into an apartment together and eventually they settled into nearby homes in the city.

"I remember he didn't have a car his first year and I did, so we were driving to everything together," Seabrook said. "Games, practices, dinners. We were young kids in the city and (it was the) first time for me on my own. He had been in the minors and spent a little bit of time on his own in college, so it was nice to lean on him a little bit as a younger guy."

Their names together have become as synonymous in Chicago sports as Hull and Mikita, Toews and Kane, Jordan and Pippen, and Butkus and Sayers. That's what happens when an elite D pairing spends a whopping 7,400 even-strength minutes on the ice together from 2007-15 (numbers for their first two seasons are unavailable).

They clicked because of a defense-first mentality, but also because each knew that when one was pushing for offense, the other had his back.

And while they have celebrated three Stanley Cup wins together, don't think there hasn't been a bump or two in the road along the way.

"It's been a long marriage, yeah. Marriages don't usually last that long these days, do they?" Seabrook said. "We've had our marital spats over the years and all that, but he's a great guy. It was never personal between the two of us. … We wanted the best out of each other and that was part of pushing each other to be the best.

"That's when our fights would boil over. But when the game was over, the game was over. We were back to good buddies, best buddies and just enjoying it.

"We've always had the same goal - we want to win, we want to continue to win, we want to continue to give ourselves opportunities to win the Stanley Cup. That was our focus and I don't think we ever lost track of that."

When Seabrook and coach Joel Quenneville were asked what stood out most about Keith's illustrious career, both raved about his performances during the 2015 Stanley Cup title run. There was the double-overtime winner in Nashville that completed an incredible Game 1 comeback; his relentless play against the hard-hitting Ducks in the Western Conference Finals; and, of course, his United Center-rattling goal in Game 6 of the Cup Final vs. Tampa Bay.

Keith - with 3 goals, a playoff-best 18 assists and incredible average of more than 31 minutes of ice time - was the unanimous choice for the Conn Smythe Trophy.

"The way he battled in that Anaheim series (when) they were going after him in the worst way, and it was like they couldn't get him," Quenneville said. "They definitely were targeting him and it didn't bother him one bit."

Said Seabrook: "He's just an impressive player. Somebody I look up to (and) I'm proud to have shared a locker stall beside for so many years. … He's a true friend. One of my best friends and it's been a lot of fun."

• • •

Before the puck drops Saturday, the Hawks will pause to honor Keith in a ceremony similar to the one Seabrook received for his 1,000th game last March.

There will be plenty of pomp and circumstance. A silver stick. Probably a fantastically framed photo. And a tribute video full of amazing highlights and words from teammates that may make the future Hall of Famer blush.

Keith's mom, brother, sister and 5-year-old son Colton are expected to attend a celebration he'll never forget.

"It's obviously a huge accomplishment," Keith said. "I'm proud of it.

"More than anything I'm proud of just to be able to be in the NHL this long and play with a lot of great players and a great organization and a great coach."

And that scout who saw him all those years ago? Well, he's awfully proud as well.

"Not only a great player, but one of my favorite guys," Tallon said. "He's just a great person. … I love him like a son."