Over the past few days I’ve been smoldering over the fact that only one member of the Chicago Blackhawks three Stanley Cup championship teams was named to the NHL’s Quarter-Century Team.
Based on votes from a collection of writers and fans, the roster was announced in four sections: players who debuted before 2000, between 2000-10, between 2010-present and goaltenders. The only Blackhawks player to make the roster was Patrick Kane.
Here’s the entire group:
To me, there are two glaring Blackhawks omissions: Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. And the case for Keith is so strong, him not being included is an enormous oversight by everyone involved. Let’s dig into why by answering some incredibly simple questions.
How many defensemen have won the Conn Smythe since 2000?
- 2022 — Cale Makar
- 2020 — Victor Hedman
- 2015 — Duncan Keith
- 2007 — Scott Niedermayer
- 2002 — Nicklas Lidstrom
- 2000 — Scott Stevens
How many defensemen have won multiple Norris Trophies since 2000?
- Nicklas Lidstrom — seven-time winner
- Erik Karlsson — three-time winner
- Duncan Keith — two-time winner
How many defensemen have won both the Conn Smythe and multiple Norris Trophies since 2000?
- Duncan Keith
- Nicklas Lidstrom
How many defensemen have won an Olympic gold medal and the Stanley Cup in the same year since 2000?
- Duncan Keith (2010)
- Brent Seabrook (2010)
- Drew Doughty (2014)
How many defensemen have won three Stanley Cup championships since 2000?
- Duncan Keith
- Brent Seabrook
- Niklas Hjalmarsson
- I will note that Kris Letang was on the 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins but had surgery for a herniated disk in his neck. He was limited to 41 regular-season games and did not play in the playoffs.
How many defensemen check every one of those boxes?
Seems pretty simple, doesn’t it?
