The Chicago Blackhawks will begin their quest for back-to-back Stanley Cups without their most indispensable player.
Defenseman Duncan Keith has been suspended 6 games — the five remaining in the regular season and the team's first game of the playoffs — for high-sticking Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle on March 29, the NHL's department of player safety announced Friday.
After being knocked down on Coyle's hit in the first period, Keith swung his stick at Coyle's face. Keith was given a five-minute major and a match penalty (immediate ejection) for intent to injure.
Coyle needed stitches to close a cut on his nose, just below his left eye. He was able to finish the rest of the game.
Keith, who waived his right to an in-person hearing, had a phone hearing with the NHL's department of player safety at 4 p.m. ET on Friday. The Blackhawks, 3-5-2 in their past 10 games, are third in the Central Division with five games remaining. They play the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.
While Keith is not considered a repeat offender because he hasn't faced supplemental discipline over the past 18 months, he does have a history. He was suspended for one game during the 2013 Western Conference final for a retaliatory high-stick to Los Angeles Kings forward Jeff Carter and for five games for elbowing Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin in 2012.
Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner as the league's best defenseman, won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP last season. Coach Joel Quenneville leaned on Keith, who had 21 points in 23 games, for 31 minutes, 7 seconds per game during the Stanley Cup run.
With Keith out, Quenneville will get to test a group of defensemen he hasn't showed a lot of trust in outside of the big three of Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson. He will get to put others in different situations as a trial run before Chicago aims for its fourth Stanley Cup in seven seasons.
Keith has 43 points in 67 games in 2015-16.
