Mike Keane

Lore & Background

Keane began his junior hockey career in the Junior A Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) with the Winnipeg South Blues. He then joined the major junior ranks in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Undrafted out of junior hockey, Keane signed as a free agent on October 2, 1985, with the Montreal Canadiens and started his NHL career in 1988. He helped the Canadiens to a Stanley Cup championship in 1993. He spent eight seasons in Montreal and was captain of the team from April 1995 to December 1995. During the 1995–96 NHL season, Keane was traded along with Patrick Roy to the Colorado Avalanche. He won his second Stanley Cup that season. He signed with the New York Rangers in 1997, then was traded to the Dallas Stars, winning the Stanley Cup in 1999. He later played for the St. Louis Blues, Colorado again, and the Vancouver Canucks. After the 2004–05 lockout, Keane signed with the Manitoba Moose for the 2005–06 AHL season, playing five seasons and serving as captain. His number 12 jersey was retired by the Moose on February 12, 2011.

In Their Own Story

The arena was shaking. Game Seven, third period, two minutes left. The puck dropped in the Carolina zone and Keane felt the familiar burn in his shoulders, the kind that meant he'd been skating hard for forty minutes and had no intention of stopping. He won the faceoff, not with speed but with a body check that drove the opposing winger into the boards before the puck even left the stick. He turned, skated up the wing, and delivered a crisp pass to the point man. The play went nowhere. It didn't need to. That was the point. He skated back down, set his stick, and waited for the next drop. Around him, the roar of the crowd was a physical thing, pressing against his helmet. He thought about Edmonton, about the kid who'd been drafted by them a decade ago and who now stood on the other side of the ice. He smiled under his visor. Then the puck dropped again, and he was already leaning in.

Reader's Guide

Keane competed for Team Canada at the 1987 World Junior Championships in Czechoslovakia. Both teams were disqualified as a result of the infamous Punch-up in Piestany.

Did You Know?

• Keane was undrafted and signed as a free agent with the Montreal Canadiens in 1985.
• He was captain of the Montreal Canadiens from April to December 1995.
• Keane won three Stanley Cups with three different teams: Montreal (1993), Colorado (1996), and Dallas (1999).
• He played five seasons for his hometown Manitoba Moose and had his number 12 retired by the team.