Keith’s hunger for ice time isn’t going away as he gets older
CHICAGO — Try to take food away from a hungry animal and you’ll get an idea of what it’s like asking Duncan Keith to cut back on playing time.
“The last thing he’s worried about is cutting back, and if you want to cut back he looks at you like, ‘Why?’ ” Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said after training camp Wednesday at MB Ice Arena.
At 35, Keith is at an age when a reduction in playing time isn’t unthinkable. In fact, his average of 23 minutes and 50 seconds of ice time per game last year was his lowest since the 2006-07 season. During Keith’s career he has averaged 25:13 per game.
Quenneville is cognizant of playing Keith too much, but he’s just as aware the Hawks need him to play a lot of minutes this National Hockey League season especially with fellow defenceman Connor Murphy out eight to 12 weeks with a back injury.
“He wants to play like every single player that’s in any position,” Quenneville said.
“They want to play and they want to play more, and in his situation, more might be a little too much. But our team this year, we’re going to need him to play minutes and we’re going to need him to play an important role as well.”
Keith, six-foot-one and 192 pounds, has long been known as a fitness fanatic whose remarkable conditioning has kept him a step ahead of opponents. By all accounts, the Hawks came into training camp in great shape after workouts that began months ago for many players.
“Everybody seems like they’re lean and in good shape and ready to go,” Keith said. “I think that’s just a sign of the times more than anything. I think every team is in good shape and there’s no time to slack off in the off-season anymore. The league is so fast and it’s just the way it is now.”