Joey Payeur
From his first one in Novice all the way to Joel Quenneville, Duncan Keith has learned from numerous coaches throughout his hockey life.
But it was two brothers from here who sprang to mind Monday night in the midst of the celebration of Keith’s latest—and perhaps greatest—on-ice achievements.
The 31-year-old defenceman, who played his minor hockey in Fort Frances from age five-14, captured his third Stanley Cup in the past six years when the Chicago Blackhawks blanked the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 to win the best-of-seven series 4-2.
Keith netted the Cup-winning goal with 2:47 left in the second period when he zinged a rebound of his own shot over the glove of Lightning goalie Ben Bishop to make it 1-0.
The blueliner later ended up being the unanimous selection for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in this year’s playoffs.
There was little drama around the choice of Keith, who led all players with 18 assists and tied for fourth in scoring with 21 points in 23 games.
He also shouldered an incredible workload, which ended up seeing him log more than 700 minutes in the march to the Cup.
When asked by “Hockey Night in Canada” interviewer Scott Oake if there was anyone special he was thinking about in Fort Frances, his current home of Penticton, B.C., or anywhere else, Keith tipped his hat to his former PeeWee coaches with the local Knights of Columbus squad for two seasons in the mid-1990s.
“I think a lot of people, obviously, that have been helpful along the way,” he remarked.
“There’s a lot of people back there in Fort Frances that have been instrumental with me.
“Bill and ‘Gib’ [Gilbert] Tucker, the Tucker brothers, coached me,” Keith recalled.
“‘Gib’ played in Kitchener for the Rangers [OHL].
“Those guys gave me a lot of confidence,” he noted. “This one’s for them, too.”
The brother didn’t get to hear Keith’s comments in person as both were in the early stages of the overnight shift at the Norbord mill in Barwick.
Rather, they found out from co-workers who had overheard Keith’s remarks from the broadcast that was on at the mill.
“Yes, it’s kind of a surprise,” said Gib Tucker.
“But he’s a great kid, and he’s always remembered his childhood and anyone who’s helped him out.”
He was the head coach of the PeeWee squad, with his older brother, Bill, serving as his assistant who focused on the defencemen.
They both said Keith’s extraordinary talent and drive stood out even back then.
“He had all the tools and he had the heart,” Gib Tucker recalled about the blueliner, who also has two Olympic gold medals and two Norris Trophies as the league’s top defenceman.
“He wanted to be the best. He was always at the outdoor rink.
“He was a little small but we thought if he grows, he’s going to be something else.”
Bill Tucker, who captained the OFSAA gold medal-winning Muskie boys’ hockey team he and his brother played on in 1989, had the same sentiments.
“He knew where he wanted to go,” he remembered, describing Keith as “pretty down to earth.”
“He’s pretty much the same now as he was then, just younger and smaller,” Bill Tucker added.
“He always talked about wanting to go to the NHL,” he noted. “He always worked really hard and was a good all-around kid.”
Gib Tucker has fond memories of watching Keith develop under his and Bill’s tutelage.
“He was a great skater, smart with the puck, who was dedicated to the game and who was fun to coach,” he recalled.
“We played him as much as he wanted. He never got tired.”
The brothers’ pride in their former player grew as Keith worked his way up the ranks to eventually become a three-time NHL all-star.
“He doesn’t throw the puck away and he always has a plan,” Bill Tucker marvelled.
“He sees the ice so good and the minutes he eats up are unreal.”
The brothers also agreed his Conn Smythe selection was long overdue.
“I’m kind of biased but I thought he deserved it every year they [Chicago] won the Cup,” said Gib Tucker.
“Without him, they would have been in trouble.”
It appears all but certain, meanwhile, that Keith will bring the Stanley Cup to Fort Frances sometime this summer after taking it to Penticton the last two times he won it.
“It would be nice, although I understand he has all his family and friends [in Penticton] and he only lived here part of his life,” Gib Tucker reasoned.
“I think it would be nice more for the young kids to get to see it,” he noted.
