Joey Payeur
When he was making a name for himself as a minor hockey player at the ’52 Canadians Arena here, Duncan Keith never thought about things like seeing his face on a cereal box.
“It wasn’t really something on my to-do list,” laughed the Chicago Blackhawks’ defenceman and three-time Stanley Cup champion.
The former Times Tigers’ star recently joined forces with PLB Sports to create “Keith Krunch” cereal, with proceeds going towards “Keith Relief”—the blueliner’s charity to help underprivileged families struggling financially and emotionally with medical crises.
“The most important thing was to try and spread the word on the charity,” said Keith, who now is in his 12th NHL season, all with Chicago.
“When kids eat the cereal in the morning, they can read about it and, in a way, that’s a great advantage for the charity.”
The idea behind “Keith Relief” was fairly straightforward.
“I had been in Chicago a number of years and I decided I wanted to do something to give back to the community,” Keith explained.
“I’m fortunate to be in the NHL. It’s a privilege to be in the league,” he stressed.
“It’s important to use my position to help people the best I can.
“There were some different ideas we were kicking around, and we saw there were a lot of families needing to pay big, expensive bills and can’t afford it,” Keith noted.
“You see lots of that in the U.S.,” he added. “It makes me grateful that we don’t have that kind of situation in Canada.
“There’s pros and cons to both systems,” Keith conceded. “But in the U.S., if you don’t have medical insurance to cover yourself or are only partly covered, it can cost a lot.”
One would think “Keith Krunch” would be based on high-quality nutrition sporting the name of one of the paragons of physical conditioning playing in the NHL today.
But there’s still plenty of fun-loving kid inside the two-time Olympic gold-medalist and Norris Trophy winner, who also claimed the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2015.
“I ate a lot of ‘Flutie Flakes’ even though Mom was usually trying to get us to have more ‘Weetabix,’” Keith laughed in reference to another cereal bearing the name of a famous athlete.
“‘Keith Krunch’ is more similar to ‘Frosted Flakes,’” he said.
“It’s important to eat healthy but sometimes you have to enjoy life, as well.”
“Keith Krunch” is being sold in Jewel-Osco grocery stores throughout Chicago.
But anyone from this area wanting to support “Keith Relief” can order the cereal online at plbsports.com at a cost of $10 (plus shipping) for a two-pack.
Meanwhile, it’s been a good start to the season for Keith, who missed the World Cup of Hockey in September over a lingering knee injury.
He is tied for fourth among NHL defencemen with 12 points (all assists) and is a solid +6 for the Blackhawks, who hold a six-point lead in the Central Division with an 11-3-2 record.
“I’ve had no issues with any type of injury,” Keith said. “I’m [just] trying to do my part to help the team win.
“I think I’ve been good defensively and moving the puck up to the forwards, which is one of the strong points of my game.”
The 33-year-old understands he’s closer to the end of his NHL road than the beginning—a fact highlighted by the wave of young superstars entering the league in recent seasons that provide a never-ending series of tests for Keith to pass each game.
“The new guys can skate really well and if you can skate, you’ve got a good chance of playing,” Keith reasoned.
“They seem to be getting faster and faster.
“You’ve got guys like [Toronto Maple Leafs’ rookie] Auston Matthews,” he added.
“When you’re out there playing against the guy, you have to be aware that he’s out on the ice.”
