Early Life
Keith was born to Dave and Jean Keith. He was a middle child, with older brother Cameron (born in 1981) and younger sister Rebecca (born in 1984). His family moved to Fort Frances, Ontario, in 1985 after his father was transferred from Winnipeg for an assistant manager position at a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) branch. Keith's mother worked in the health field at Rainycrest Home for the Aged in Fort Frances.
He grew up as a Boston Bruins fan, singling out defenseman Ray Bourque and forward Cam Neely as his favorite players, as well as Wayne Gretzky. Keith played minor hockey in the Fort Frances Minor Hockey Association along with his brother. Initially beginning as a forward with the Fort Frances Times Tigers, he has recalled switching to defense at the age of eight or nine. He went on to play AA Atom with Pinewood Sports and Marine Ltd and PeeWee with the Knights of Columbus. After Keith established himself in the NHL, the town of Fort Frances recognized his success by declaring July 17, 2008, "Duncan Keith Day."
While Keith began to be recruited for AAA Bantam in Thunder Bay, Ontario, his father obtained a managerial position at a branch in Summerland, British Columbia. At 14-years-old, his family moved once again to nearby Penticton, British Columbia, where he finished his last two years of minor hockey. He then earned a spot on the local Junior A team, the Penticton Panthers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), as a 16-year-old.
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