Blackhawks' Keith wants to play until age 45: 'I feel like I'm 22'

Duncan Keith still has plenty of tread on his tires.

The Chicago Blackhawks defenseman - who's suited up for more than 1,000 combined regular-season and playoff contests - has claimed three Stanley Cups, a pair of Norris Trophies, and a Conn Smythe as playoff MVP during his decorated career.

Still, the 34-year-old has no plans to hang up his skates any time soon.

"I want to play until I'm 45. Honestly," Keith told Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. "Eleven more years. I feel like I'm 22 right now. I do. I'm 34, and I feel great. I feel better than I did at times when I was 27, 28."

Keith hasn't slowed down at all this season, as he leads all Blackhawks blue-liners with 11 points while averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time per night.

"You look at (Nicklas) Lidstrom and (Chris) Pronger, those guys weren't always skating 100 miles an hour every shift," Keith added. "It was being smart and being in good position and skating hard when you had to."

Should Keith get his wish and still be taking shifts into his mid-40s, a few more contracts will likely need to follow. The veteran defender is currently signed through the 2022-23 season, according to CapFriendly.

This season, there are only three players aged 40 or older across the league: Boston's Zdeno Chara (40), Minnesota's Matt Cullen (41), and Calgary's Jaromir Jagr (45).

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