They were together for an Olympic gold medal and a Stanley Cup in 2010, and Chicago's stalwart defensive pairing of Brent Seabrook (Tsawwassen) and Duncan Keith (Penticton) stood tall and victorious again on Monday night, when the Blackhawks beat Boston, 3-2, to win their second Cup on alien ice.
For Seabrook, it capped a playoff ride that may have vaulted him back into the NHL's elite defensive club. The defensive defender had two overtime goals for the Hawks when it mattered most these playoffs – Game 7 against Detroit and Game 4 against Boston, the latter coming just last Wednesday.
Keith was exceptional again in Game 6. Despite being a -1 for the night, he played 28:51, had an assist on Bryan Bickell's late tying goal, and was named the game's second star.
Both Seabrook and Keith played their first games in the NHL in the 2005-06 season, making a splash immediately after the lockout and setting the foundation for a Hawks team that would later add Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and then win two Stanley Cups in four seasons.
Monday's Game 6 featured a thrilling finale that saw Chicago rip off two goals in 17 seconds with a minute remaining and stun the Bruins and their faithful.
The situation – the surprise – wasn't lost on Seabrook, who said Chicago was prepared for a furious effort from Boston.
"We knew they were going to come out hard, we knew that they were flying, and we just wanted to come out and establish our game in the second period," he told NHL.com. "We were lucky to get out of the first period 1-0; they could have had a couple more. We just kept believing in ourselves, and believing in our team game, and it was awesome."
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