Edmonton Oilers defenceman Duncan Keith received a special welcome when he arrived at the United Center in Chicago for Wednesday’s practice.
His teammates, coaches and the Oilers’ training and equipment staff lined the hallway to the dressing room with sticks raised in a canopy. There was an actual red carpet rolled out, leading up to Keith’s stall.
“That was a surprise,” Keith said. “I wasn’t really expecting anything like that. It was a little bit odd that the camera guy was following me walking into the room.
“I turned the corner and they had the halo of sticks there. It was nice. The teammates here have been great.”
On Thursday, Keith will play in Chicago against the Blackhawks for the first time since he was traded to the Oilers in the off-season. He played 1,192 games with the Hawks over 16 seasons, winning three Stanley Cups.
“Obviously, it’s a special day for him,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid. “He’s an older guy. He has lots of experience. He’s come in and been the great leader he is. He’s fit right in in the room and off the ice as well.
“His game has been good. He helps us a lot out there.”
Keith, 38, returned to action Tuesday in Philadelphia after missing nine games with an injury.
“He has experiences to draw from, just in a lot of the big games that he’s played in throughout his career,” said Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft. “He has a calming influence on our dressing room.
“He also has to be able to play. I was really impressed seeing him live last night. He makes a lot of really good plays on the ice.”
“It’s exciting to be back,” Keith said. “First time being back. Feels like yesterday really (that) I was just in here eating pre-game meals and things like that. Spent a lot of time here.
“Nice to be back. Definitely a unique feeling.”
When asked how he thinks he’ll feel when the game gets going, he struggled to answer.
“I don’t really know,” Keith said. “I like to think I’ve been through a lot of different experiences in my career where you have to focus on how to play and what you have to do.”
Also on Thursday, the Oilers signed defenceman Dmitri Samorokuv to a one-year contract. Defenceman Vincent Desharnais signed a two-year deal while forward James Hamblin inked atwo-year entry level contract. Both will start next season.
The Oilers and Blackhawks game can be heard on 630 CHED on Thursday, starting with the Faceoff Show at 5 p.m. The game will start at 6:30 p.m.