Blackhawks' Duncan Keith wins Conn Smythe Trophy
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Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith unanimously won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, after the Chicago Blackhawks’ 2–0 Stanley Cup Final-clinching victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.
Keith finished the playoffs tied with his teammate, captain and former Smythe-winner Jonathan Toews, for the fourth-most points of any player in the postseason, with 21.
His 18 playoff assists led the NHL.
• Watch: Blackhawks' Duncan Keith scores rebound goal in Game 6
Keith averaged more than 31 minutes per game over 23 games, by far the most of players who have skated in more than 10 playoff games. He also played 39 shifts and scored the deciding goal during Monday night's decisive Game 6. He proved to be particularly indispensable during the Blackhawks’ seven-game Western Conference Finals series against the Anaheim Ducks when during Game 6 he keyed three of his team's goals and made a potentially game-saving clear in front of Chicago’s net.
Prior to Keith, Patrick Kane had been the last Blackhawk to win the Smythe. Kane won it in 2013, when Chicago last won the Stanley Cup. Toews took the award in 2010.
- Will Green
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