‘Duncan Keith Day’ hailed as success

More than 300 people showed up at the Memorial Sports Centre here yesterday to see one of their own who has gone on to reach the highest hockey stage.
Duncan Keith, a defenceman with the Chicago Blackhawks who got his start while playing in the Fort Frances Minor Hockey Association, was presented with two murals during a ceremony marking “Duncan Keith Day.”
One was inscribed with “Dreams do come true” over photos of Keith at different stages of his hockey career while the second featured photos of Keith from his early days in the FFMHA up to his current spot with the Blackhawks.
Keith also was presented with a Times Tigers jersey, which he happily put on to the approval of the crowd at the Ice for Kids Arena.
As well, a showcase featuring one of Keith’s NHL jerseys (inscribed with the event’s date) was unveiled and now will hang in the arena’s front foyer.
Keith himself gave back to the community, presenting trivia and draw winners with his jersey, some game-used sticks, and other Hawks’ memorabilia.
He also presented a $5,000 cheque to the local minor hockey program.
Addressing the crowd, Keith talked about his memories of playing hockey in Fort Frances—and offered some advice for the young up-and-coming players on hand for the ceremony.
“I had a lot of good memories, but I think just the camaraderie we had with my PeeWee team,” Keith said of his fondest memory from his time here.
“We had a great team and we won a lot of tournaments, and I’m pretty proud of that,” he added. “We went to eight tournaments and I still tell my buddies back in British Columbia and the guys I play with in Chicago how good that team was.
“We were able to win five of the eight tournaments and in the other three we finished second, so that was pretty special.”
After the formal presentations, a line formed to get autographs and photos with the NHL star. Keith happily met every last one who waited, signing his final autograph after 7:30 p.m.
“It’s been awesome just getting to come back here in itself, and be able to see all the people I grew up with and played hockey with,” Keith said after his two-hour autograph session.
“Meeting some of the kids here in Fort Frances who you can tell are young hockey players is a great feeling,” he added.