TORONTO – Duncan Keith is headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Winnipeg-born defencemen was one of six former players who got the call on Tuesday, when the Hockey Hall of Fame announced its class of 2025.
Entering alongside Keith, a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks, are high-scoring forward Alexander Mogilny and a pair of former Boston Bruins, centre Joe Thornton and defenceman Zdeno Chara.
Keith, a second-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2002, started his minor hockey career in Fort Frances before his family moved to British Columbia, where he developed into an all-star blueliner.
Keith joined the Hawks in 2005-06 and quickly became a cornerstone of the franchise, alongside future hall-of-famers Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and Thunder Bay’s Patrick Sharp.
In his fourth season, Keith and his teammates hoisted their first Stanley Cup, snapping a 49-year championship drought.
A double Olympic gold medallist, Keith, who turns 42 next month, won his first of two Norris Trophies in 2010, named the NHL’s top defenceman. He won it again four years later.
The 6-foot-1 defenceman and his teammates won their second championship in 2013 and added a third ring two years later, with Keith winning the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Keith brought the Cup back to Fort Frances after their 2015 title run.
He spent 16 of his 17 NHL seasons with the Blackhawks, winding up his career in 2021-22 with the Edmonton Oilers.
Keith, who finished with 106 goals and 646 points in 1,256 games, was elected to the hall of fame in his first year of eligibility. Candidates had to receive 75 per cent of the vote to be inducted.
"I was lucky to play on some really good teams with some great players," Keith said. "It's been a journey with many ups and downs, and I want to thank the people who helped me get to this point in my life."
Also inducted on Tuesday were former Canadian women’s national team forward Jennifer Botterill and ex-U.S. team star Brianna Decker. In the builder’s category, long-time Boston University coach Jack Parker and former Canadian women’s hockey coach and general manager Danielle Sauvageau were also elected.
Chara won the Norris Trophy in 2009 and was a six-time finalist, winning a Cup with Boston in 2011.
Thornton scored 1,530 points in 1,714 games, with Boston, San Jose, Toronto and Florida, after being drafted first overall by the Bruins. He also won Olympic gold in 2010.
Mogilny, the first former Soviet Union player to defect to play in the NHL, scored 473 goals, winning a Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2000. He also won Olympic gold, in 1998 in Calgary.
Botterill won three Olympic gold medals, in 2002, 2006 and 2010, while Decker was a six-time world champion, winning Olympic gold in 2018.
Thunder Bay's Eric Staal will be eligible for induction next year.